The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested 10 individuals, including the chairman of a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) inspection committee and a professor from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), in a major corruption case. The arrests also include the vice-chancellor of the Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF) based in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, and two other executives.
The arrested individuals include G.P. Saradhi Varma, the vice-chancellor of KLEF, Koneru Raja Hareen, the vice president of KLEF, and A. Ramakrishna, the director of K L University, Hyderabad campus. They are accused of bribing NAAC inspection committee members to secure an ‘A’ accreditation for KLEF.
The CBI also arrested Samarendra Nath Saha, the chairman of the NAAC inspection committee, who is also the vice-chancellor of Ramchandra Chandravansi University, as well as several other committee members, 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, a professor at Davangere University; and Bulu Maharana, a professor at Sambalpur University.
According to the CBI, the arrested individuals are accused of accepting bribes in the form of cash, gold, mobile phones, and laptops from KLEF officials in exchange for granting the institution a higher accreditation.
The CBI launched its investigation after receiving complaints regarding the irregularities in the accreditation process. During the operation, the agency recovered ₹37 lakh in cash, six Lenovo laptops, an iPhone 16 Pro, and other incriminating materials from the suspects. The CBI is also conducting searches at multiple locations across India, including Chennai, Bangalore, Vijayawada, Palamu, Sambalpur, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Gautam Budh Nagar, and New Delhi.
The CBI spokesperson said that the operation is part of a larger investigation into alleged corruption and manipulation of the accreditation process by officials of the KLEF and NAAC. Searches are ongoing, and further arrests or developments are expected as the investigation progresses.
In addition to the arrests, the CBI has named several other individuals in its FIR, including the president of KLEF, Koneru Satyanarayana, NAAC’s former deputy adviser L. Manjunatha Rao, M.S. Shyamsundar, and M. Hanumanthappa, the director (IQAC-NAAC) of Bangalore University. These individuals have not been arrested as of now but remain under investigation.
The CBI’s investigation has raised concerns about corruption in the education sector, especially regarding the accreditation of universities and colleges. The agency has vowed to continue its efforts to ensure transparency and accountability in such processes.
Sources By Agencies