Education official, middleman arrested

In the first move to clean up higher education, a senior official of India’s technical-education regulator was arrested on Thursday in New Delhi and several others charged with accepting bribes from private-college managements, after raids in Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bhopal.

In the first move to clean up higher education, a senior official of India’s technical-education regulator was arrested on Thursday in New Delhi and several others charged with accepting bribes from private-college managements, after raids in Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Bhopal.

HT Image

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) charged K Narayan Rao, member secretary of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and an alleged middleman, SB Subba Rao, with corruption after officers caught them accepting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh from the owner of an Andhra Pradesh engineering college.

The CBI raided AICTE offi-ces across India and seized several “incriminating” documents, an agency spokesman said.

The CBI also filed corruption charges against AICTE chairman RAYadav, Adviser HC Rai, Deputy Director Robinder Randhawa and Regional Officer Sriom Dalal. They are accused of demanding bribes for increasing the student intake of a Faridabad engineering college.

The CBI has also filed corruption charges against Dr. Sanjay Sharma, regional officer, AICTE, in Bhopal.

CBI spokesman Harsh Bhal said the member secretary had demanded a Rs 20 lakh bribe through a middleman for inspection and approval of the engineering college in Andhra Pradesh.