New Delhi, Mar 22 (IANS): The founders of Ashoka University have announced the appointment of an Ombudsperson as had been decided earlier, by May 31.

The Chancellor and Vice Chancellor will propose candidates for this position for approval by the university's Governing Body.

"Our aim is that through this and already existing processes we will be able to ensure that Ashoka lives up to its vision of being a space for free enquiry, free expression, intellectual honesty, respect for the dignity of all human beings and openness to constructive change," the founders said.

"The present moment provides an opportunity to make a fresh start by collectively reaffirming our faith in the vision and ethos of Ashoka," said the statement by Ashish Dhawan, Pramath Raj Sinha, Sanjeev Bikhchandani and Vineet Gupta.

The founders of Ashoka University said on Monday that they have never interfered with, nor do they intend to interfere, with the academic functioning of the university.

Ashoka founders are under fire after the resignations of prominent faculty, Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Arvind Subramanian.

The founders said they want to articulate their deep commitment and respect for the autonomy of the University and its academic functioning.

The Board of Trustees' issued a statement to the Ashoka Faculty. "The founders, even though they have devoted resources and energy to establish Ashoka University have never interfered with, nor do they intend to interfere, with the academic functioning of the university. "Academic functioning" in this context includes not only how and what faculty teach, how they assess, how they are recruited and how they secure tenure but also their freedom to write and speak in their chosen fora and on their chosen themes," they added.