The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested the chairman and six members of a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) inspection committee for corruption. Notably, a professor from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is among those detained.
Key Figures in the Case
To begin with, the CBI arrested G P Saradhi Varma, Vice-Chancellor of Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF), along with Koneru Raja Hareen, KLEF Vice President, and A Ramakrishna, Director of KL University’s Hyderabad Campus. According to officials, they allegedly bribed the NAAC inspection committee to secure an ‘A’ accreditation.
Furthermore, the agency arrested Samarendra Nath Saha, chairman of the inspection committee and Vice-Chancellor of Ramchandra Chandravansi University. The list of arrested individuals also includes JNU professor Rajeev Sijariya, Bharath Institute of Law Dean D. Gopal, Jagran Lakecity University Dean Rajesh Singh Pawar, G L Bajaj Institute of Technology & Management Director Manas Kumar Mishra, Davangere University Professor Gayathri Devaraja, and Sambalpur University Professor Bulu Maharana.
More Accused Named
In addition, the CBI has named other accused individuals, though they have not been arrested yet. These include KLEF President Koneru Satyanarayana, former NAAC deputy adviser L Manjunatha Rao, Bangalore University’s M Hanumanthappa, and NAAC adviser M S Shyamsundar.
Raids and Seized Items
As part of the investigation, the CBI conducted searches at 20 locations, including Chennai, Bangalore, Vijayawada, Palamu, Sambalpur, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Gautam Budh Nagar, and New Delhi. During these raids, officials seized ₹37 lakh in cash, six Lenovo laptops, an iPhone 16 Pro, and other incriminating items.
Moreover, a CBI spokesperson confirmed that KLEF officials had bribed NAAC team members with cash, gold, mobile phones, and laptops. Consequently, the investigation is still ongoing.
