JNU prof demanded Rs 1.80 crore for favourable report by NAAC inspection team: CBI in FIR

A CBI spokesperson identified those arrested as: “G P Saradhi Varma, the Vice-Chancellor of Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF), Vaddeswaram, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh; Koneru Raja Hareen, Vice-President, KLEF; A Ramakrishna, Director, K L University, Hyderabad campus; Samarendra Nath Saha, Vice-Chancellor of Ramchandra Chandravansi University and Chairman, NAAC Inspection Committee; Rajeev Sijariya, Professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), member coordinator (NAAC Inspection Committee).

The spokesperson identified the other accused as Dr D Gopal, Dean, Bharath Institute of Law; Rajesh Singh Pawar, Dean, Jagran Lakecity University, Bhopal; Manas Kumar Mishra, Director, GL Bajaj Institute of Technology & Management; Gayathri Devaraja, Professor, Davangere University; and Dr Bulu Maharana, Professor, Sambalpur University. The CBI has named 14 people in the FIR, and is probing the role of others.

The CBI has alleged that they received information from a “reliable source” that NAAC re-accreditation of KLEF was due and many senior members were allegedly indulging in corrupt activities for a favourable report. “Varma after coordinating with Satyanarayana approached NAAC officials through Dr Rao, and Hanumanthappa to explore the ways and means for inclusion of known members in the NAAC inspection team. Hanumanthappa had revealed the names of the seven members of the NAAC team to Varma before it was officially declared,” the FIR alleges.

On January 19, the FIR states, Satyanarayana and Varma allegedly paid Rs 10 lakh to Hanumanthappa for arranging a favourable NAAC inspection team.

According to the FIR, A Ramakrishna, Director, K L University, Hyderabad Campus, allegedly told Varma that JNU professor Sijariya could be approached through some of his friends. “Sijariya informed them that he wanted to meet the designated/authorised persons of KLEF across the table at Delhi and was ready to help them. On January 25, Koneru Raja Hareen, Vice-President of KLEF, and A Ramakrishna met Sijariya to negotiate the bribe amount for a favourable inspection report. After negotiation, both of them informed Satyanarayana and Varma that he was demanding Rs 1.80 crore in total for managing the whole inspection team for a favourable report out of which Rs 1.30 crore was for himself as he would be the person preparing the inspection report,” it says.

The CBI also alleged that on January 26, the duo allegedly visited Sijaria’s residence to further negotiate and finally agreed to pay Rs 3 lakh and a laptop to each member. “He asked for Rs 10 lakh for himself which they paid him immediately. He showed them the favourable draft NAAC inspection report. On January 27, Satyanarayana, Varma and Koneru Raja Hareen decided to pay Rs 3 lakh and a laptop to each NAAC inspection team member,” the FIR says.