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Bhatkhande embezzlement case: Action likely against Ex-VC as 7 held
A CID official said action against former VC Katkar is also likely, as her name is mentioned in the charge sheet filed in June. When contacted, she declined to comment on the allegations but stated she would approach the court through her lawyer to contest the charges.
More trouble appears likely for former vice-chancellor of Bhatkhande Music Institute Deemed University, professor Shruti Sadolikar Katkar, in connection with alleged financial embezzlement of ₹3.31 crore during her tenure between 2009 and 2020, after the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested seven people in the case on Wednesday.
A CID official said action against former VC Katkar is also likely, as her name is mentioned in the charge sheet filed in June. When contacted, she declined to comment on the allegations but stated she would approach the court through her lawyer to contest the charges.
Among those arrested are head of dance department Gyaneendra Dutt Vajpeyi, head of tabla department, Manoj Kumar Mishra, private firm operator Mohammad Shoaib, and four others, Kundan Singh, Jugal Kishore Verma, Suresh Singh and Vinod Kumar Mishra. All seven have been sent to jail.
The CID, which took over the case on January 18 this year, said the accused allegedly colluded with private firm operators and bypassed official procedures in construction-related projects at the university. The charge sheet names 13 individuals, including Katkar, and 12 private firms.
According to the FIR registered at Qaiserbagh police station on March 5, 2021, Katkar and others were booked for financial and administrative irregularities based on a three-member inquiry committee’s report to Raj Bhavan. The probe was ordered by Governor Anandiben Patel, who is also the president of the university.
A government official said the committee, led by retired Allahabad high court judge Virendra Kumar Dixit, found that Katkar had approved a ₹3.08 crore construction project for Kala Mandap in 2018 without inviting tenders. Another work order worth ₹23 lakh was issued to a private engineering firm. Similarly, over ₹4 crore was paid to multiple firms in two years.
The CID later confirmed the findings and stated that Katkar, along with others, allegedly violated financial norms and government rules. The charge sheet mentions pending dues of ₹1.8 crore to various firms.
Katkar was placed under suspension before being removed from her post by the Governor on December 21, 2020.
