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FIR against ex-vice chancellor of Bihar Agriculture University

Hindustan Times, Bhagalpur | By
Feb 22, 2017 10:16 AM IST

Mewalal Choudhary, also a JD(U) MLA from Tarapur in Munger district of Bihar, was indicted for appointment of 161 assistant professors and junior scientists, besides a few others, in 2012.

The police on Tuesday lodged FIR against former vice-chancellor of Bihar Agriculture University and JD(U) MLA, Mewalal Choudhary, for irregularities in university appointments during his tenure.

Some appointments are under cloud at the Bihar Agriculture University in Bhagalpur district.(HT file photo)
Some appointments are under cloud at the Bihar Agriculture University in Bhagalpur district.(HT file photo)

Choudhary was indicted for appointment of 161 assistant professors and junior scientists, besides a few others, in 2012.

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Confirming the lodging of FIR against him, senior superintendent of police, Bhagalpur, Manoj Kumar, told HT: “The cases have been lodged under sections 466, 468, 471, 309, 420 and 120(D) of the Indian Penal Code.”

All these sections pertain to forgery and manipulation.

READ: Bihar university moves for FIR against ex-VC over ‘job scam’

“Going by the spirit of the probe panel findings, we have also added section 120(D), which means that the police may also investigate those who benefitted from irregularities in appointment,” the SSP added.

The FIR has been instituted at the Sabour police station. Deputy superintendent of police (headquarters) Ramesh Kumar has been made the investigation officer in the case.

The police will now investigate the case before taking any coercive action against Choudhary or any other person now under the ambit of investigation.

In its 63-page report, a probe committee, headed by retired Patna high court judge justice Syed Mohammed Mahfooz Alam, constituted in 2015, had indicted Choudhary for anomalies in appointment.

BAU sources said the university had in 2011 issued an advertisement seeking applications for 281 posts of assistant professor-cum-junior scientist. The appointments were made against only 161 vacancies under general category in 2012.

The inquiry was ordered on the basis of complaints received by the chancellor’s office about irregularities in the agriculture university.

The complaints said candidates who secured low marks in academics were given high scores in ‘interview and presentation’ to favour them. Likewise, many others with high scores in academics were shown to have fared poorly in ‘interview and presentation’, it was alleged.

An RTI reply provided to an applicant also corroborated the charges of irregularities in the appointment. The BAU provided the RTI reply nearly after three years.

Choudhary, a JD(U) legislator from Tarapur in Munger district of Bihar, was the founder V-C of the BAU from 2010 to mid-2015.

Bihar Agricultural University is an autonomous institute under the Bihar government, established in 2010 under Indian Council of Agricultural Research, situated at Sabour, in Bhagalpur district of Bihar, which is 230 kms east of Patna.

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  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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    Avijit has around 20 years of experience in journalism and reports across beats for HT from Bhagalpur and adjoining districts of eastern Bihar.

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