According to sources, Khushwant Singh had cast his vote in favour of Shunglu’s archrival, Ashok Chandra. However, after Singh’s vote vanished, Shunglu won by a single vote, as fellow member and renowned Kathak dancer Shovana Narayan abstained from voting. When they were counted, Shunglu had nine votes while Chandra had eight. The DPS society, which runs one of the largest chains of schools, has 19 members in all who can cast their vote to pick the chairperson.
It was Shunglu’s alleged ‘malpractices’ that led to setting up of Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC), which has a three-member team comprising luminaries like external affairs minister Salman Khurshid, deputy chairman of planning commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia and former deputy governor of RBI Ravi Vira Gupta.
All three have recommended re-elections to the posts of chairman and vice-chairman. Sources say Shunglu has rubbished the DRC suggestion and has since then become increasingly autocratic, not calling the general meeting for re-election as was directed by the panel. The matter was then taken to Delhi high court to be settled.
Despite his position as chairman of DPS society being sub-judice, Shunglu recently sent a letter to members announcing names of BK Chaturvedi and Rahul Singh as lifetime members.
The appointments have invited scathing reproach as a result. Former chairman, Ashok Chandra has filed an application in Delhi high court for stay of likewise inductions of two more life members by Shunglu, till the court reaches its verdict on this year’s DPS society elections.
One of the school principals, on condition of anonymity, said, ‘Mr Shunglu, unlike Mr Ashok Chandra, is neither approachable nor communicative, even for school problems.’ In fact, the DPS staff in a letter to Salman Khurshid had raised their concerns regarding former principal of DPS Faridabad, Anil Kumar who had been removed for misappropriation and financial irregularities.
At that time Shunglu was the vice-chairman and signed issuance of one of the cheques as well. The letter states that now efforts were being made to reinstate Kumar as the principal again of the same branch.
According to sources, during Shunglu’s tenure as CAG, a scam had surfaced which was reported by his deputy Midha. The latter alleged that payment of Rs 13 crore was authorised by Shunglu himself to an international company in which son was then working.