AICTE chairman suspended over corruption case-Jul 30 2009,(ITS IN EDUCATION SYSTEM...JUST A SMALL EXAMPLE...VT)

AICTE chairman suspended over corruption case

(PERCHASING DEPARTMENTS IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES/SCHOOLS INCLUDING CANTEENS OR IF MID DAY MEAL IS SURVED WHICH PLAY HAVOC AT TIMES ON STUDENTS HEALTH....ETC!!....VT)

Express news service Tags : AICTE, HRD Ministry, suspended, Ram Avtar Yadav Posted: Thu Jul 30 2009, 05:16 hrs New Delhi:

In the latest development in the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) corruption racket, the HRD Ministry has suspended AICTE head Ram Avtar Yadav “so that there is no possibility of investigation being influenced by his continuation in office”. HRD Minister Kapil Sibal has reportedly also approved the repatriation of nearly three dozen AICTE officials to their parent cadre to enable the technical institutes’ regulator to begin work on a fresh note.

Recognition from the AICTE is necessary before a technical institute, whether government-owned or private, is eligible to offer any course.

Prof S S Mantha, Vice Chairman, AICTE has been handed over temporary charge as Chairman of the Council. Yadav was not available for comment.

Yadav’s role in the AICTE corruption racket is being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) which conducted a series of raids across the against several key AICTE officials.

A case of cheating and another under the Prevention of Corruption Act had been lodged against him and three others, H C Rai (Advisor, AICTE), Rabinder Randhawa (Deputy Director AICTE) and Om Dalal (Regional Officer AICTE, New Delhi), last year for allegedly demanding money for processing the case of increase in intake of seats of an engineering college, Echelon. The complaint lodged with the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC) as well as the HRD Ministry had led to a full fledged enquiry with the Ministry summoning Yadav on the issue in August 2008.

Sources said Yadav’s suspension was necessitated

by his refusal to step down

or proceed on leave in view

of the CBI investigation against him. Moreover, Yadav continued to grant approval to colleges even while the investigation was underway. Yadav even refused to receive Wednesday’s suspension notice from the HRD and the notice then had to be pasted outside the door of his office.

Action was taken against other AICTE officials as well. “Prof H C Rai, Advisor has been repatriated to his parent cadre, the Deputy Director Rabinder Randhawa’s contract has been terminated and Om Dalal, Asstt Director has been placed under suspension,” a HRD ministry statement said.

AICTE Member Secretary Narayan Rao had been arrrested and subsquently suspended earlier this month for allegedly demanding a bribe from an owner of an engineering college in Hyderabad.

The fate of the AICTE will become clearer over the next few weeks when the HRD ministry decides on the constitution of the independent regulatory authority for Higher Education.