JNU suspends professor Rajeev Sijariya, accused in NAAC bribery case

NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University has sacked professor Rajeev Sijariya, after finding his involvement in an ongoing corruption case. JNU vice-chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit issued an order last night stating that the dean at university’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship has ‘prima facie’ been found to be involved in a bribery case.

Recently, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Sikariya along with nine others, including chairman and members of the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), for allegedly taking bribe for granting an A++ NAAC accreditation to Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF) in Andhra Pradesh. The JNU professor was one of the inspection committee members, whom the institution bribed to secure the highest rating.

The central probe body recovered cash, gold, high-end mobile phones, and laptops among the ‘incriminating’ materials, given to the NAAC inspection team members, during its ongoing searches at 20 locations across India.

JNU VC's role in NAAC bribery case

Professor Sijariya is placed "under suspension with immediate effect from the services of the University pending the outcome of the Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry and departmental inquiry", read the JNU order.

Sijariya joined JNU’s business school in 2020 and became the school’s dean in 2023. Notably, the professor achieved several awards during his academic career, proudly mentioning them in his official profile on the university website. Besides serving at JNU, he handled responsibilities of a visitor at central universities.

With inputs from PTI