Higher Education Minister M.C. Sudhakar said action would be taken against professors and staff if the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) provides evidence of their involvement in the alleged National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) review committee corruption case.
Speaking to The Hindu, he said the CBI had not informed the State government about the bribery demand allegedly made by NAAC inspection committee member Gayatri Devaraj of Davangere University and M. Hanumanthappa, Department of Computer Science, Bangalore University. “We have not yet received any official report in this regard,” he said.
However, the Bangalore University had served a notice to Prof. Hanumanthappa on February 3, 2025. In his reply, Prof. Hanumanthappa claimed that he had no role in this case.
“Hanumanthappa has explained in the letter that initially he was not a member of the NAAC inspection committee. The Head of the Computer Science Department of Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF) in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh, and Hanumanthappa are friends and they were present when the incident took place. An FIR has been filed against him. But no arrest has been made. Therefore, further action will be taken after discussing with legal experts,” said Jayakara S.M., Vice Chancellor, Bangalore University.
KLEF was accused of offering bribes to get an ‘A’ plus grade from NAAC. The CBI arrested six people, including Gayatri Devaraj, on February 1, 2025. It has registered a case and is investigating.
Published – February 06, 2025 10:20 pm IST