The CBI arrested the chairman and six members of a NAAC inspection committee on Saturday in a corruption case. These arrests include a professor from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and the vice-chancellor of the Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF) in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.

Other Accused Named

In addition to the arrested individuals, the CBI named several other people in the FIR. These include Koneru Satyanarayana, the president of KLEF, L Manjunatha Rao (former NAAC deputy adviser), M Hanumanthappa (professor and IQAC-NAAC director at Bangalore University), and M S Shyamsundar (NAAC adviser). However, none of them have been arrested as of now.

Arrests in Connection with Bribery

Furthermore, the CBI arrested G P Saradhi Varma (KLEF vice chancellor), Koneru Raja Hareen (KLEF vice president), and A Ramakrishna (director of K L University, Hyderabad campus). These individuals are accused of bribing the NAAC committee members to obtain an 'A' accreditation for their institution.

Arrest of NAAC Inspection Committee Members

Additionally, the CBI arrested the chairman of the NAAC inspection committee, Samarendra Nath Saha, who is also the vice-chancellor of Ramchandra Chandravansi University. Moreover, several other committee members were arrested, including:

• Rajeev Sijariya (JNU professor)
• D. Gopal (dean, Bharath Institute of Law)
• Rajesh Singh Pawar (dean, Jagran Lakecity University)
• Manas Kumar Mishra (director, G L Bajaj Institute of Technology & Management)
• Gayathri Devaraja (professor, Davangere University)
• Bulu Maharana (professor, Sambalpur University)

Evidence Recovered

As part of the operation, the CBI conducted searches and recovered several items related to the bribery. Specifically, the team found cash, gold, mobile phones, and laptops given to the NAAC inspection team. These findings support the allegations of bribery. During the searches, the CBI seized ₹37 lakh in cash, six Lenovo laptops, an iPhone 16 Pro, and other incriminating items.

Searches Across India

Finally, the CBI conducted searches at 20 different locations across India, including cities such as Chennai, Bangalore, Vijaywada, Palamu, Sambalpur, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Gautam Budh Nagar, and New Delhi. These efforts are part of the ongoing investigation into the corruption case.