NAAC Officials Wanted ₹1.8-Crore Bribe for A++ Rating; Chairman, JNU Professor Among 10 Held: CBI

In a major crackdown on alleged corruption in the accreditation of higher educational institutions, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested the chairman and six members of a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) inspection committeeamong them a professor from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) for allegedly demanding bribes to award top ratings. A total of ten individuals, including officials of the Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF), have been held.
According to a separate report, NAAC officials had allegedly demanded a bribe of nearly ₹1.8 crore from KLEF in return for granting the institution an A++ rating. Investigations by the CBI revealed that the KLEF management arranged luxury hotel accommodation and lavish gifts such as mobile phones, earpods, and other valuables for NAAC officials. It was further alleged that a “common hamper” of these items and cash was offered to the visiting inspection committee.
Sources familiar with the probe say that NAAC team members had threatened to withhold a favorable final report if their demands were not met. Eventually, a 29-page “favourable” inspection report was prepared, helping KLEF secure the top rating.
Among those arrested on Saturday is NAAC inspection committee chairman Samarendra Nath Saha, who also serves as the vice-chancellor of Ramchandra Chandravansi University. Six committee members were taken into custody, including Rajeev Sijariya, a professor at JNU; D. Gopal, dean of Bharath Institute of Law; Rajesh Singh Pawar, dean of Jagran Lakecity University; Manas Kumar Mishra, director of G L Bajaj Institute of Technology & Management; Gayathri Devaraja, professor at Davangere University; and Bulu Maharana, professor at Sambalpur University.
The CBI also arrested G P Saradhi Varma, vice chancellor of KLEF, Koneru Raja Hareen, vice president of KLEF, and A Ramakrishna, director of K L University (Hyderabad Campus). They are accused of offering bribes to ensure KLEF received a high accreditation rating.
Other individuals named in the FIR but not yet arrested include Koneru Satyanarayana, president of KLEF, L Manjunatha Rao, a former NAAC deputy adviser, M Hanumanthappa, professor and director (IQAC-NAAC) at Bangalore University, and M S Shyamsundar, an adviser at NAAC.
The investigating agency conducted searches at about 20 locations across the country, including Chennai, Bangalore, Vijayawada, Palamu, Sambalpur, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Gautam Budh Nagar, and New Delhi. According to a CBI spokesperson, searches led to the recovery of:
The CBI stated that “undue advantage” in the form of cash, gold, mobile phones, and laptops was provided to the NAAC inspection team members by office-bearers of KLEF. All those arrested are being booked under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and criminal conspiracy. Further arrests may follow as the investigation expands.
While more details are expected to emerge as the probe continues, the CBI alleges that manipulations in accreditation processes can undermine the credibility of the country’s higher education standards. NAAC, an autonomous body under the University Grants Commission (UGC), is tasked with evaluating and accrediting higher education institutions across India. The arrests have raised serious concerns about transparency and fairness in the accreditation system, prompting calls for stricter oversight and reforms.
Prof. N.Sriram, Editor, Pharmachronicles, Hyderabad
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