JNU professor suspended over demand of ₹1.8 crore for favourable NAAC report

Rajeev Sijariya, arrested in the NAAC bribery case, allegedly brokered a deal for ₹1.8 crore for a favourable report, settling for ₹28 lakh.

The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has suspended Rajeev Sijariya, a professor, who was arrested by the CBI in a bribery case linked to the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

Rajeev Sijariya joined JNU in 2020 under the tenure of former vice chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar.(HT File )

The FIR in the case mentions that Sijariya, arrested by the CBI, was among 10 people detained in the NAAC bribery case. It alleges that the NAAC inspection team demanded ₹1.8 crore from Andhra Pradesh's Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF) for a favourable report, The Indian Express reported.

After negotiations, the team allegedly agreed to accept ₹10 lakh for the chairman, ₹3 lakh for each member, and additional perks like a laptop and travel expenses for one member’s wife.

The FIR claims Sijariya facilitated the deal and initially demanded ₹1.3 crore for himself, eventually settling for ₹28 lakh.

Rajeev Sijariya, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship (ABVSME), has faced controversies in the past.

In 2023, his two-year tenure as Dean of ABVSME was cut short after several faculty members accused him of “undemocratic decision-making” and “instigating students against faculty members,” the report added.

Quoting sources, The Indian Express report also mentioned that Sijariya was suspended after a three-member committee gave its suggestion to the vice chancellor.

The suspension order issued by JNU vice chancellor Santishree Pandit said, “Rajeev Sijariya… has prima facie been found to be involved in the corruption case related to allegations of bribery for securing a favourable A++ NAAC accreditation rating to KLEF… The undersigned in exercise of her powers… hereby places … Sijariya under suspension with immediate effect from the services of the University pending the outcome of the CBI inquiry/findings and departmental inquiry.”

Sijariya joined JNU in 2020 under the tenure of former vice chancellor M Jagadesh Kumar. His academic qualifications include a PhD in Management, specialising in Consumer Behaviour, an MBA in Marketing and Human Resource Management, and an MSc in Physics (Electronics).

With over 25 years of professional experience, he has spent 21 years in academia and administrative leadership.