E-Paper
2012 grant misuse case: Punjab cautions PU over delay in submitting report
Punjab government has demanded that the approved report in 2012 grant misuse case be submitted within seven days
The Punjab government has taken strict note of what the state government has claimed a delay in submitting an action-taken report by the Panjab University (PU) into the alleged misuse of a ₹3-lakh special sports grant given to the organisers of a conference in 2012 at the varsity.
Demanding the approved report within seven days, the state government has warned the university of strict decisions regarding the annual grant if there is further delay.
Through a letter, the Punjab department of higher education has said that despite many attempts, the varsity had not submitted the report to its vigilance department.
However, senior university officials maintained that the university had already sent the reports to DPI Punjab and the department of panchayati raj.
The allegations of grant misuse are against two serving professors at PU’s physical education department – Gurmeet Singh and Dalwinder Singh.
The ₹3-lakh grant in question was issued by the then Punjab finance minister through Mohali DDPO to the organizing secretary of International Forum of Physical Education and Sports Sciences (IFPESS) held at PU from October 20 to 22, 2012.
In 2018, the controller, rural development and panchayat department, Punjab, had asked the varsity to submit the expenditure statement and utilisation certificate duly authenticated by the university registrar.
The same year, a complaint had accused the two professors, organisers of the sports conference, of misusing the grant, following which the varsity had formed several committees to investigate the matter. Even the state government had also repeatedly sought the varsity’s permission for conducting an inquiry into the matter.
Four years later, through a letter, the department of higher education and languages, Punjab, in September 2022, had again asked PU for approval under Section 17-A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, for a probe by its vigilance department.
Syndicate’s decision
The PU syndicate in its meeting held in November last year had considered the January 2020 report of varsity’s chief vigilance officer (CVO) into the 2018 grant misuse complaint by Manoj Kumar Karwasra and Gurdial Singh Saini.
However, the syndicate did not accept the report and decided that an enquiry committee be constituted under the chairmanship of a judicial officer (from the panel of the university) to examine the issue, and comprehensive and conclusive recommendations be made for consideration by the syndicate.
PU registrar YP Verma said the reports regarding the matter had already been sent to the higher education, and rural development and panchayat departments, and will also be shared with the vigilance department. “The university syndicate, the competent authority to take a decision, had deliberated over the matter in November. The case will be brought into its notice again,” he said.
When contacted, Professor Gurmeet Singh refused to comment on the matter.
