Regarding Use of Aspen from modelling lab

[Dr. Mahesh N Varma]

Dear Sir,

Please look into trailing mail by Metch students.

I didn't come across any such rules for not allowing use of lab.

Also behaviour of faculty with student is also objectionable 

If anything happens to students with this kind of behaviour who will take responsibility?

I request head to look into this matter and please do the needful

Regards 

Mahesh 

Dr. Mahesh N Varma 

Professor 

Department of Chemical Engineering 

Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur 

Phone 09273083142

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Kuldharan Vaibhav <kuldharan...@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2025, 19:22
Subject: Request for Intervention Regarding Denial of Laboratory Access for Project Work
To: <mahesh...@che.vnit.ac.in>

Respected Sir,

I am writing to inform you about an issue I faced regarding access to the laboratory for my M.Tech project work. 

Today, I requested Prof. Sonawane Sir (Lab Coordinator) for permission to use the Modelling and Simulation lab for my project work. Firstly, I gave him a  permission request letter for lab permission and he read and threw the letter on the table in his style. He firstly told me that without coursework, students can not use my lab and replying to that, I informed him that I am currently on internship and my entire project work is based on Aspen Plus simulations. 

In response, he strictly said  that students who are doing internships are not considered as regular college students and hence they are not allowed to use the laboratory facilities. He further mentioned that if you want to work in the lab, then there is no need to do the internship and come here and do your work.

Sir, from this afternoon I am in mentally tense and am very frightened about my project work.
Please help me out with this.

Please find the attached Permission request letter that I gave to Prof. Sonawane Sir.

Yours sincerely,

Vaibhav Kuldharan

MT24MCL013

[Dr Shriram Shaligram Sonawane]

Subject: Clarification on the Matter Reported by Student Vaibhav

Dear HOD,

The matter reported by the student, Vaibhav Kuldharan, is completely incorrect and misrepresents the actual discussion that took place. I would like to place the factual sequence of events on record for your kind information.

Vaibhav came to my cabin and informed me that he had been using the ASPEN Plus (NPTEL version), which is free for a limited duration. He further stated that he has already been relieved and deputed for a full-time internship at Clean Edge Resources India Pvt. Ltd. His NPTEL licence had expired, and for the industry-assigned project problem, he requested access to the department’s ASPEN Plus licensed software.

I clearly informed him that our ASPEN Plus licence cannot be used for industry-based or consultancy-type project work, as such use directly violates the licensing agreement and may lead to substantial penalties on the Institute. He understood the explanation and left my cabin politely, saying: “Okay sir, thank you.”

I would also like to mention that Mr. Khushal Jadhav, who is marked in the CC of this email, was physically present in my cabin at that time and is a direct witness to this interaction.

Given this, I am unable to understand why the student has misrepresented the facts and circulated an incorrect version of the incident. There appears to be an urgent need to identify who is instigating or misguiding the student in creating such misleading narratives.

Furthermore, without discussing the matter with me or understanding the actual issue, Prof. Varma has written that the “behaviour of faculty with student is objectionable.” I am unable to comprehend on what basis such a conclusion has been drawn. This appears to be an unsubstantiated remark that unnecessarily defames me and drags me into a matter with which I have no involvement, especially considering that the student is already on industry deputation for internship with the permission of his guide and not working under my guidance.

For complete transparency, I also have the full CCTV/video footage of the student’s visit to my cabin.

I request that this matter be examined objectively so that such misleading allegations do not harm the working atmosphere of the department.

Regards,
Prof. S.S. Sonawane

--

-- 

Dr.Shriram Shaligram Sonawane, B.Tech.,M.Tech.,Ph.D.(Chemical Engineering), (FMAS, FIWWA,FWRA,FWRJ,AMIEI) 

Professor of Chemical Engineering,

VISVESVARAYA NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY [VNIT],

NAGPUR-440011 (M.S.) INDIA.

*World Top 2% SCIENTIST AD SCIENTIFIC INDEX 2023, 

*Recipient of DST Young Scientist Award Scheme.

*NOMINATED FOR “SHANTI SWAROOP BHATNAGAR AWARD"

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[Khushal Jadhav]

I was present during the conversation of Dr. Shriram Sonawane sir and Vaibhav Kuldharan in Cabin.

Dr. Shriram Sonawane sir does not show any kind of misbehave with the student and he totally placed all the aspen regarding facts of institutional and industrial policy based, and their was nothing like objectionable behavior.

Regarding about throwing the permission letter as mentioned it the mail draft, the letter wasn't thrown and just placed on the table while explaining the facts of aspen policies.

There was no matter of strictness as mentioned by Vaibhav, it was factual discussion about the industrial based project which cannot be solved using institutional based aspen license.

And all the discussion took placed in friendly manner as Vaibhav was too agreeing to the facts.

Regards, 

Khushal Jadhav 

[Dr. Mahesh N Varma]

Dear professor 

Thank you very much for your email.

It will be great help in discussion if you can give CCTV footage with audio.

Regards 

Mahesh 

Dr. Mahesh N Varma 

Professor 

Department of Chemical Engineering 

Visvesvaraya National Institute of Technology, Nagpur 

Phone 09273083142