HC grants bail to tainted Pbi varsity sports head

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, August 28

The Punjab Government has intervened and “ordered that an officer facing a cheating and forgery case” should not accompany the Punjabi University Vice-Chancellor when the President awards the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy to the university on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a day ahead of the MAKA trophy ceremony in New Delhi, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today allowed bail to Dr Rajkumar Sharma, Director Sports, Punjabi University.

Highly placed sources confirmed that Higher Education Minister Surjit Singh Rakhra told the Punjabi University authorities not to take Dr Rajkumar Sharma on stage when the VC accepts the MAKA trophy from the President. Punjabi University has won the MAKA trophy the fourth consecutive time. In the past, whenever the VC had gone to accept the trophy, he had taken Dr Rajkumar Sharma with him.

“I came to know that this case of forged documents against Punjabi University Patiala, Director Sports, Dr Rajkumar Sharma has brought bad repute to the university and therefore, I had to intervene,” claimed Surjit Singh Rakhra.

“I have clearly told the VC that at the prestigious award ceremony, he should avoid taking someone along who faces serious charges of cheating and forgery,” Rakhra told The Tribune.

Earlier today, the Punjab and Haryana High Court allowed bail to the accused ordering that in the event of the arrest of the petitioner, he shall be released on bail by the arresting/investigating officer. “The petitioner shall abide by the conditions as enshrined in Section 438 (2) CrPC,” the order reads.

A case under Sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using as genuine a forged document) of the IPC has been registered against Dr Rajkumar.

The FIR states, “The initial inquiry report by a senior police officer states that while Rajkumar’s certificate claims that in 1975-76, he bagged the first position in hammer throw. Later -- while applying for Punjabi University director sports’ post in 2004 -- the accused claimed that in 1977-78, he -- representing Punjabi University -- had secured second position in an inter-varsity hammer throw competition held at Vikram University, Ujjain.

“However, the 1975-76 certificate originally belongs to Narinder Singh and the 1977-78 certificate belongs to Surinder Singh,” said the FIR.

Sources within Punjabi University confirmed that Dr Rajkumar was considered close to top Punjabi University officials and despite the criminal probe pending against him, he was given an extension in service by the university on the pretext that he had been instrumental in Punjabi University winning the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy for the past three years.

All efforts to contact Vice-Chancellor Jaspal Singh proved futile as he did not respond to text messages or calls on his mobile phone.

Dr Rajkumar Sharma said that he would not accompany the VC for the ceremony in New Delhi, but would celebrate with the players on the university campus. “I have never used fake certificates anywhere in my career as I do not need one,” Sharma said.