CBI Arrests Sambalpur University Professor, 9 Others In NAAC Bribery Case

Bhubaneswar: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested a professor of the Sambalpur University in Odisha and nine others from different states in connection with an alleged bribery case for providing a favourable NAAC rating to a private university in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh.

Sources said the CBI also sealed the residence of the accused professor, Bulu Maharana, at Jyoti Vihar in Sambalpur on Saturday as part of the operation. Maharana happened to be a professor in the department of Library and Information Science.

The other arrested persons include the chairman and six members of a National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) inspection committee, including a professor from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), according to national media reports.

The CBI registered a case and conducted searches across multiple locations, uncovering evidence of “alleged undue advantages” provided to the NAAC inspection team. These bribes reportedly included cash, gold, mobile phones, and laptops, a CBI spokesperson stated.

The arrests were made after a series of operations in which the CBI apprehended several individuals. Among the arrested are the chairman of the inspection committee, Samarendra Nath Saha, who is also the vice-chancellor of Ramchandra Chandravansi University, and committee members Rajeev Sijariya, professor at JNU, D. Gopal, dean at Bharath Institute of Law, Rajesh Singh Pawar, dean at Jagran Lakecity University, Manas Kumar Mishra, director at G L Bajaj Institute of Technology & Management, Gayathri Devaraja, professor at Davangere University, and Bulu Maharana, professor at Sambalpur University, PTI reported.

The CBI’s investigation led to the discovery of alleged bribe payments made to the NAAC team, including cash, gold, mobile phones, and laptops, which were recovered during searches. The CBI conducted searches at 20 locations across India, including Chennai, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Palamu, Sambalpur, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Gautam Budh Nagar, and New Delhi.

The central probe agency has seized approximately Rs 37 lakh in cash, six Lenovo laptops, one iPhone 16 Pro, and other incriminating items. Further investigation is in progress.