"I did not bend the rules (in IIT appointments)," said Anil Kakodkar.
Noted nuclear scientist and former chairman of IIT Bombay has refuted Union minister Smriti Irani's claim that he had illegally attempted to push his candidate for the post of an IIT director and the incident lay at the bottom of his controversial resignation.
He also reiterated his charge that the ministry's process of candidate selection was too casual - the reason he had cited when he quit in March.
Claiming the Human Resources Development minister's allegation was "totally false", Mr Kakodkar said, "I did not bend the rules. Nor did I suggest the name of person Smriti Irani was referring to."
The minister has said she has evidence of the irregularity "on file".
On Tuesday, Ms Irani - whose ministry is in charge of the education sector -- said Mr Kakodkar had tried to push his own candidate in contravention of the rules, that the person had not even applied for the post.
The matter, she said, came out ahead of a crucial meeting of the selection panel, which was to interview the candidates. When called out on the issue, Mr Kakodkar, she said, was "visibly upset" and had "felt slighted". But he had admitted that the candidate's name was on the list at his behest, she said.
"If someone is very good, we have to invite them. They won't necessarily apply," Mr Kakodkar told NDTV today. In this case, the name of the candidate was suggested by the search and selection committee, he added.
After quitting IIT, Mr Kakodkar had cited his differences with the Ministry over the selection process of IIT directors, which he had described as "too casual" and "like running a lottery".
Today, he raised the issue again, saying the committee headed by minister interviewed candidates "casually", that "37 candidates were interviewed in just six hours".