National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) general council president M Jagadesh Kumar has promised “appropriate action” in line with protocols and legal procedures over alleged bribery for favourable ratings, underlining the agency was strengthening the processes to ensure such incidents are averted.
NAAC inspection committee chairman Samarendra Nath Saha (Ramchandra Chandravansi University vice-chancellor) and members Rajeev Sijariya (Jawaharlal Nehru University), Gayathri Devaraja (Davangere University) M Hanumanthappa (Bangalore University) and Guntur’s Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF) office bearers were among 10 people the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested over the weekend for the alleged bribery. Education ministry officials did not respond to HT’s queries about the case.
Kumar maintained the NAAC is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency in the accreditation process. “Any allegations of wrongdoing are taken very seriously, and appropriate actions will be taken following set protocols and legal procedures.” He said NAAC remains dedicated to maintaining the quality and credibility of assessment and accreditation.
NAAC was established in 1994 to evaluate universities and colleges using a grading system based on a cumulative grade point average from 1.51 to 4.00. It has accredited 7,265 higher education institutions.
In its First Information Report (FIR), the CBI said a “reliable source” indicated to the agency about the corrupt activities to secure a favourable report for KLEF’s NAAC re-accreditation. KLEF, which was accredited with NAAC A++ twice, applied for re-accreditation for 2024-29, and an inspection was scheduled from January 29-31.
The FIR said the inspection team allegedly demanded ₹1.80 crore initially. Sijariya and the KLEF officials allegedly negotiated and agreed that a NAAC member each would get a laptop and ₹3 lakh and ₹10 lakh would be given to Saha, and for covering the travel expenses for one member’s wife to Vijayawada.
The CBI said Saha allegedly requested 75% of the bribe in gold and KLEF officials requested a rating of 3.65 or above to ensure that the university receives A++ grade. It has said it has recovered ₹37 lakh in cash, six Lenovo laptops, and one iPhone 16 pro mobile phone from the accused.
Jawaharlal Nehru University Teachers’ Association (JNUTA) president Moushumi Basu said it was bound to happen given that university and college administrations go out of their way to please the NAAC inspection teams. “It is disheartening and unfortunate that a JNU [Jawaharlal Nehru University] member [Sijariya] was part of the NAAC inspection team arrested on bribery charges. Students and parents will start doubting NAAC ratings awarded to colleges and universities.”
A Delhi University professor, who has been a member of five NAAC inspection committees, called the bribery case an exception. “…such cases can defeat the purpose of NAAC ratings and accreditation. Law and rules cannot prevent such cases if a person does not have ethics to protect the integrity of the job given to him,” said the professor on the condition of anonymity.