New Delhi: Nearly two years after he stepped down as the vice-chancellor of Ashoka University, noted scholar and political scientist Pratap Bhanu Mehta Tuesday resigned as professor from the university.
The reasons for his resignation are not known.
Stepping down as the V-C in 2019, he had cited “academic reasons” for his decision. In a letter to faculty members and students, he had at that time said he wanted to “return to a more full-time academic life”.
Mehta, however, has not said anything with respect to his resignation from the university as a professor now.
When ThePrint contacted him for a comment, Mehta refused to offer any comments on his decision.
The university, meanwhile, confirmed the resignation but did not share details about the reasons.
“Yes, Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta has resigned from Ashoka University. During his tenure as Vice Chancellor and member of faculty, he has contributed immensely to the University. Ashoka University wishes him well for his future endeavors,” a spokesperson told ThePrint.
Mehta, who is also a contributing editor at The Indian Express, has in his columns regularly criticised the government of the day. He has also questioned certain policies of the Narendra Modi government.
He has also written for Financial Times and a number of other national and international publications. He is on the Editorial Board of the American Political Science Review and Journal of Democracy.
Mehta is a graduate in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics from Oxford University and a PhD in politics from Princeton. Before joining Ashoka as the V-C in 2019, he had been a professor at Harvard University, Jawaharlal Nehru University, the Global Faculty Program at NYU Law School. He has also been the president of Center for Policy Research.
Ashoka University is a private liberal arts university located in Sonepat, Haryana. It describes itself as “a pioneer in its focus on providing a liberal education at par with the best in the world”.
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