Bribe for NAAC rating: Sambalpur University professor suspended following arrest by CBI

The Sambalpur University suspended Dr Bulu Maharana, a professor in the Library Science department on Wednesday after his arrest by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a bribery case involving the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC).

As per reports, the bribery scandal emerged from allegations that an Andhra Pradesh-based private deemed university, Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF), was paying bribes to secure an A++ accreditation from the NAAC evaluation team, of which Dr. Maharana was a part.

Earlier, on February 2, it was reported that Dr Bulu Maharana and nine other NAAC Inspection Team members had been arrested after the CBI registered a case against KLEF office bearers and NAAC team members for allegedly providing undue advantages to public servants.

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The CBI subsequently sealed his government quarters in the Jyoti Vihar campus and carried out further investigations on February 4. The probe led to CBI raids at 20 locations across India, including Chennai, Bangalore, Vijayawada, Palamu, Sambalpur, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Gautam Budh Nagar, and New Delhi.

During the raids, the probe agency seized Rs 37 lakh, 6 laptops, gold, mobile phones, and other incriminating materials.

The CBI had further cited Dr Maharana's involvement in accepting bribes to influence the accreditation process as raising serious concerns about academic integrity and transparency. 
In a press release, it stated the matter stained the “credibility of the NAAC accreditation process and the integrity of educational institutions and their evaluation bodies.”

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As a result, the suspension and the ongoing investigation are part of stringent measures to uphold ethical standards in educational evaluations.