IIM Calcutta on Tuesday said Sahadeb Sarkar, who was in-charge director till a week ago, was removed over a case of sexual harassment against him.

Sarkar had to leave office before the appointment of a regular director. Earlier, regular directors like Uttam Kumar Sarkar and Anju Seth had resigned before their tenure ended.

At a media release, the IIM said its internal complaints committee (ICC) had received a written complaint under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) against the then director-in-charge, Sahadeb Sarkar.

Sahadeb Sarkar has termed the allegations “baseless”.

“I emphatically deny the allegations made against me. I am shocked with the baseless allegations. In any case this seems to be an official press release by the management and I am prevented from speaking to the press by the POSH rules 17(6) of the institute. I will address this appropriately at an appropriate forum,” he said.

In the media release, the IIM said: “The ICC has ascertained that prima facie the complaint warrants a formal inquiry and communicated the same to the Board of Governors (BoG). The ICC expressed its concern and apprehension in proceeding with a free and fair inquiry, including its ability to access other witnesses including contract staff, and faculty and documents available with the institute, when Prof. Sahadeb Sarkar is occupying the position of director-in-charge and recommended his removal from the said post and any other position wherein he has administrative charges, during the pendency of formal inquiry before the ICC.”

The statement said that Sarkar’s removal was stated to be a requirement for the ICC to ensure that impartiality was maintained and the inquiry was compliant with the principles of natural justice.

“The BoG sought legal advice on the issue and examined the extant provisions of law, rules, regulations, government guidelines and instructions. As per the legal advice received, particularly in view of section 12(3) of the POSH Act, the ICC recommendations are binding on the institute,” the statement said.

It added that the board of governors held a special meeting on January 6 and accepted the recommendation of the ICC that Sarkar should not continue in the office of director-in-charge during the pendency of a formal inquiry and should be removed from the post and any other position wherein he had administrative charges at IIM Calcutta.

The next seniormost faculty member, Saibal Chattopadhyay, was appointed the director-in-charge after Sarkar’s removal.

The institute said the order of the board accepting the ICC recommendation should not in any manner be a reflection of the board’s opinion on the merits/demerits of the allegations, the conduct of a formal inquiry and rival contentions.