(This story originally appeared in on Feb 26, 2016)

NEW DELHI: The Smriti Irani-led Human Resource Development (HRD) ministry has reconstituted the Indian Council for Philosophical Research (ICPR) bringing in Sanskrit scholars, a former BJP member of the Legislative Council in Karnataka, a retired IPS officer who has turned to Hinduism and religion in a big way and a scholar who is associated with an organisation that recently claimed to have put exact date of Lord Ram ’s birth.The HRD ministry has approved reconstitution of the Council on February 22, 2016 nominating twelve new members to the council — four of them are Sanskrit scholars. The term of the last council expired in October 2015.Prof Siddheshwar Bhatt— a sanskritist and philosopher was appointed as ICPR chairman by the HRD ministry last year to succeed noted educationist Prof Mrinal Miri.Among those nominated by the HRD ministry to the ICPR council are Prof SR Leela, who was a nominated BJP MLC in the Karnataka in 2014. Leela is also a Sanskrit scholar and former head department of Sanskrit, Bangalore University. The other Sanskritists brought on board are Prof Hare Ram Tripathi from Delhi’s Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri Rashtriya Sanskrit Vidyapeetha, and Prof Om Prakash Pandey, former HoD Sanskrit and Prakrit languages, Lucknow University.A prominent entrant to Philosophical Research Council is Prof V Kutumba Sastri, former VC Somnath Sanskrit University. Sastri incidentally is also a member of the I-SERVE (Institute of Scientific Research on Vedas)— an organisation that has claimed to put an exact date to several events from the epics Mahabahrata and Ramayana— including the exact time and date of Lord Ram’s birth.Dr K Aravinda Rao, retired IPS officer who served as the DGP in Andhra Pradesh will also join ICPR. He is currently the Director of the Hyderabad-based Advaita Academy. Rao has turned to religion in a big way post retirement, penning books like 'How to tell Hinduism to Your Child?', and 'Analysis of jnanam in the Upanishads'.The other members on board the council are Prof Kusum Jain, former professor & HoD of Philosophy, Rajasthan University, Prof Jatashankar Tiwari, former professor & HoD Philosophy, Allahabad University, Prof X P Mao, professor of Philosophy, North East Hill University, Prof R C Sinha, former professor & HoD Philosophy, Patna University. That apart Prof Dharmanand Sharma, former professor and HoD philosophy, Chandigarh University and Prof Naresh Kumar Ambastha, HoD philosophy, PKRM College, Dhanbad and Dr Rajaram Shukla, professor Vaidic Darshan, BHU Varanasi are also on the reconstituted ICPR Council. This council will further co-opt another four eminent philosophers.ICPR is a body of distinguished philosophers, social scientists and representatives of government bodies that reviews the progress of research in Philosophy, sponsors and assist projects or programmes of research in Philosophy by institutes.