CBI books former JNU professor for financial misappropriation

NEW DELHI: The CBI has registered a case of alleged financial misappropriation against former JNU Professor AL Ramanathan of the School of Environmental Sciences and five others, officials said. The agency has taken over the investigation from the Delhi Police following a reference from the office of Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena, they added.

The University had filed an FIR at the Vasant Kunj North Police Station about the alleged financial misappropriation of over Rs 88 lakh by Ramanathan, Section Officers Sneh Rajora Asiwal, Urmil Punhani, Project Assistant K. Murali, and Computer Operators Nazir Hussain and Ritesh Kumar, officials said.

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The alleged irregularities were flagged during the preparation of the annual balance sheet by the finance branch of the University in 2021, which brought the issue to the attention of the Vice-Chancellor. The Vice-Chancellor referred the matter to the Finance Committee of JNU, which authorised a Fact-Finding Committee to investigate the issue and submit a report.

"The University Fact-Finding Committee, in its inquiry, has detected a financial misappropriation of Rs 88,10,712 (Rupees Eighty-Eight Lakh Ten Thousand Seven Hundred Twelve only) in the project of Prof. A.L. Ramanathan at the University. The Committee has found that both regular and contractual staff, as well as outsourcing staff, were prima facie involved in the financial misappropriation," the FIR alleges.

Ramanathan was suspended in 2021 and was recently terminated from the services of JNU.