The Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics (GIPE), Pune, has appointed Sanjeev Sanyal, noted economist and member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council (EAC-PM), as its chancellor, 10 days after Bibek Debroy resigned from the post. In a tweet on Sunday, Sanyal said he has accepted the position.

“I have accepted the chancellorship of Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune. Looking forward to working with faculty, staff and students to build on GIPE’s well-established legacy”, Sanyal tweeted on Sunday. The role did not impact his normal work as a full-time member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, he said. This will be a five-year term starting October 7.

The Servants of India Society (SIS), which manages the institute, sent the appointment letter to Sanyal on Friday. SIS was founded in 1905 in Pune by Gopal Krishna Gokhale and SIS established the GIPE in 1930.

Sanyal has been a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) since 2022. Earlier, he had been the principal economic adviser to the Union finance minister for five years till February 2022.

Bibek Debroy, chairman of the EAAC-PM resigned as GIPE Chancellor on September 26 on moral grounds. He was chancellor of GIPE for around three months. 

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Debroy stepped down as Chancellor after Ajit Ranade, vice-chancellor of GIPE, obtained interim relief from the Bombay High Court regarding his dismissal. Debroy had written to the University Grants Commission, claiming that Ranade’s appointment as Director violated UGC regulations for deemed universities.

Ranade was removed from the V-C’s post after a committee set up by Debroy determined that he was ineligible for the position, as he lacked the required 10 years of teaching experience to become a vice-chancellor. Ranade has challenged his dismissal, and a two-judge bench of the Bombay High Court is scheduled to hear his case this week. He will remain vice-chancellor until further notice.

Ranade had called his dismissal as unfortunate and shocking. “For the past two and half years I have been working diligently and to the best of my ability, contributing to positive developments in the institute. These results seem to have been completely ignored,” Ranade said.