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Former PTU V-C arrested

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Rajneesh Arora
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Sanjeev Singh Bariana

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 8

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The Vigilance Bureau today arrested the former Vice-Chancellor of IK Gujral Punjab Technical University, Dr Rajneesh Arora, for his alleged involvement in financial irregularities, questionable appointments and administrative lapses during his tenure under the previous SAD-BJP government. 

A special VB court in Kapurthala placed him in vigilance custody for four days. The bureau has booked Dr Arora and others under Sections 409 and 120-B of the IPC and Section 13(1)(d) read with Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. The case was based on the findings of an inquiry report by former IAS officer SS Dhillon.

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Nineteen complaints formed basis of the probe.

In the line of fire are nine other persons whom the former V-C allegedly favoured in appointment and giving work. None of them has been arrested so far.

In September last year, Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi forwarded the report to Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh. In December, the CMO asked the VB to initiate action.

The investigation showed that Dr Arora, believed to have RSS links, appointed six coordinators and facilitators without any advertisement. Questionable payments worth Rs 2.73 crore and Rs 6.54 crore were made during 2012-13 and 2013-14. The bureau report pointed out that appointments of Adviser (Deputation) Dr Nachatter Singh and Director (Contract) Dr RP Bhardwaj were made without any advertisement. 

Rules were not followed in the appointment of  Assistant Registrar (ad hoc) Vishwadeep, Assistant Training and Placement Officer (ad hoc) Marjinder Singh Bedi and Assistant Director (Cultural Activities) Sumeer Sharma.

The VB did not find any document to prove the work experience of legal officer Geetika Sood. Dr Arora wrongly appointed his classmate Praveen Kumar as the Adviser of M/s NETiit that was part of financial handlings with the PTU, the report said. One set of works totalled around Rs 24.37 crore. A pact was signed on August 27, 2012, between PTU and NETiit under which 8% of admission fee was to be paid as consultancy fee to the firm.

A former Chief Secretary-cum-Chairman of the board of the governors, PTU, filed an affidavit in the Punjab and Haryana HC mentioning that he had directed the university to withdraw appointment of the consultant, but it was not done. Rs 24.37 crore was paid to NETiit by December 2014. Arora and NETiit opened a camp office in Delhi, thereby allegedly wasting Rs 1.65 crore. He also allegedly allowed the Anovous Institute of Clinical Research run by Dhirender Tayal, son of slain BJP leader Hit Abhilashi, to charge higher fees.

Timeline

May 2017: PTU Officiating V-C KS Pannu orders a probe into “complaints of irregularities in varsity during SAD-BJP regime”

July: Former IAS officer SS Dhillon submits his reports holding former V-C Rajneesh Arora guilty of irregularities in appointments and financial bungling

September: Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi writes to Chief Minister recommending an FIR

December: CMO writes to VB Director BK Uppal to probe 

Jan 8, 2018: Prof Arora held

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