ICSSR panel ‘to probe irregularities’ at CSDS

THe amerind Council of societal scientific discipline explore (ICSSR) testament constitute a two-member committee to investigate alleged administrative and financial irregularities at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), officials said on Saturday.The probe follows a show-cause notice issued by ICSSR on August 20, citing “gross violations” of grant-in-aid rules under which the apex social sciences research body funds up to 90% of CSDS staff salaries and 50% of its administrative costs.The investigation began after CSDS co-director Sanjay Kumar faced legal action for posting incorrect election data on social media platform X. On August 19, the psephologist apologised for wrongly reporting a significant drop in voter numbers in Maharashtra’s Devlali and Ramtek assembly constituencies compared to the Lok Sabha elections, saying the error occurred due to misreading of a row by the data team.District electoral officers in Nashik and Nagpur subsequently registered cases against Kumar on August 20 for allegedly misleading voters with incorrect 2024 election data. However, the Supreme Court stayed the Maharashtra FIRs on August 25.ICSSR, an autonomous body under the Union ministry of education, had threatened to withdraw funding if CSDS failed to explain the “deliberate misrepresentation of facts” within seven days.An ICSSR official, speaking anonymously, confirmed that CSDS has submitted its response, which is currently under review. “They have addressed some queries but offered no explanation regarding irregularities in faculty and non-academic staff appointments or House Rent Allowance (HRA) payments,” the official said.Kumar refused to comment, stating he was “not the right person” to discuss the development, whilst CSDS director Awadhendra Sharan did not reply to HT’s queries.The committee’s probe is independent of CSDS’s response, the official clarified, adding that the panel aims to gather credible evidence before deciding next steps. “It is not a foregone conclusion that action will be taken; everything depends on the probe’s outcome. We believe an independent inquiry is necessary for transparency,” the official said.The committee will be notified on Monday or Tuesday along with its terms of reference, though member names remain undisclosed pending internal discussions.According to a parliamentary response on August 7, 2023, the ministry of education informed the Lok Sabha that CSDS received ₹13.92 crore from ICSSR over three years, from 2020-21 to the first quarter of 2023-24.