NAAC bribery: JNU suspends prof, his tenure as Dean was cut short in 2023

“He ne'er progressive his school’s module successful large decisions, which created discontent. Ultimately, helium had to measurement down,” said a workfellow astatine JNU, speaking connected information of anonymity.

Another prof and an authoritative from the JNU medication confirmed this.

Sijariya was appointed arsenic the Dean successful 2023 itself. Heeraman Tiwari was yet appointed to pb the school, acceptable up successful 2020. An bid to this effect, issued connected March 14, 2024, stated, “The Vice Chancellor… has appointed Prof Tiwari, Centre of Historical Studies, School of Social Sciences arsenic Dean, ABVSME.”

Tiwari and JNU Vice-Chancellor Santishree Pandit declined to comment.

On Monday, the JNU medication suspended Sijariya, who is among 10 radical arrested by the CBI successful an alleged bribery lawsuit tied to the NAAC.

According to the FIR, members of the NAAC inspection squad demanded a bribe of ?1.8 crore from Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation successful Andhra Pradesh for a favourable inspection report. After negotiations, the squad allegedly agreed to judge ?10 lakh for the committee chairman, ?3 lakh for each member, and perks specified arsenic a laptop and question expenses for 1 member’s wife. It is alleged that Sijariya brokered the woody and demanded ?1.3 crore for himself, though helium settled for ?28 lakh.

Sijariya was besides the erstwhile president of the ABVP’s portion successful Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut.

Sources astatine JNU told The Indian Express connected Monday Sijariya was suspended aft a three-member committee gave its proposition to the V-C. The suspension bid issued by Pandit stated, “Rajeev Sijariya… has prima facie been recovered to beryllium progressive successful the corruption lawsuit related to allegations of bribery for securing a favourable A++ NAAC accreditation standing to KLEF… The undersigned successful workout of her powers… hereby places … Sijariya nether suspension with contiguous effect from the services of the University pending the result of the CBI inquiry/findings and departmental inquiry.”

Meanwhile, University Grants Commission Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar, who besides heads the NAAC governing council, said, “NAAC is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency successful the accreditation process. Any allegations of wrongdoing are taken precise seriously, and due actions volition beryllium taken pursuing acceptable protocols and ineligible procedures. NAAC is continuously moving to fortify the processes to guarantee specified incidents are averted. NAAC remains dedicated to maintaining the prime and credibility of appraisal and accreditation successful India.”

Sijariya joined the JNU successful 2020 during the tenure of erstwhile V-C M Jagadesh Kumar. His world qualifications see a PhD successful Management with a absorption connected Consumer Behavior, an MBA successful Marketing and Human Resource Management, and an MSc successful Physics (Electronics). He has implicit 25 years of nonrecreational experience, including 21 years successful academia and administrative leadership.

Before joining the JNU, helium held positions specified arsenic Professor and Head of the Institute of Business Studies and Deputy Director astatine Sir Chhotu Ram Institute of Engineering and Technology, CCS University, Meerut (2016-2020). He besides served arsenic Professor and Founder Director astatine the HR Institute of Science and Technology successful Ghaziabad (2012-2016) and Professor and Principal astatine the United Institute of Management, Greater Noida (2009-2011).

Twenty-four probe papers crossed assorted disciplines are portion of his peer-reviewed journals/books. They see A Study to Understand the Functional Working of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, featured successful the Review Journal of Philosophy and Social Science, and Social Trust and Risk Perception Towards Acceptance of Fully Automated Driverless Cars (BHU Management Review, 2023).