NAAC chairman arrested over bribery by CBI along with six member by CBI in connection with bribery case. Even JNU professor also arrested in this regard.
How this started-A search operation was carried by CBI and recovered alleged undue advantage paid to the NAAC Inspection Team members by the office bearers of the said educational foundation, in the form of cash, gold, mobile phones, and laptops. The investigation is continuing,” the CBI stated.
The National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) is an autonomous body in India under the University Grants Commission (UGC). It was established in 1994 to assess and accredit higher education institutions (HEIs) in the country based on quality standards.
The searches are on at 20 locations across India, including Chennai, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Palamu, Sambalpur, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Gautam Budh Nagar, and New Delhi. According to the CBI, investigators have recovered approximately ₹37 lakh in cash, six Lenovo laptops, one iPhone 16 Pro, and other incriminating items, ANI reported
In another case of UGC NET paper leak CBI filed a closure report stating that there was no incidence of paper. In June 2024 exam was cancelled because of paper leak incidence on dark net and sold on telegram..
The court will now decide whether to accept the report and close the case or direct further investigation.
CBI stated in its report that a doctored screenshot of the leaked question paper for the June 18, 2024, exam was being circulated by a student to earn money. On the exam day, the screenshot was shared on Telegram in the afternoon—before the second shift of UGC-NET—giving the false impression that the paper had been leaked and accessed beforehand.
Even the officials stated that forensic experts confirmed the screenshot was manipulated, with its date and time stamp altered. The student responsible for the act used an app to fabricate the image.
In June 2024 more than 11 lakh candidates had registered for the UGC-NET exam, which determines eligibility for junior research fellowships, assistant professor appointments, and PhD admissions in Indian universities and colleges.
The exam was cancelled on June 19 by Ministry of Education when it received an alert from National Cyber Crime Threat Analytics Unit of the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) under the Ministry of Home Affairs. The ministry had then stated that initial inputs indicated that “the integrity of the examination may have been compromised.”
No substantial evidence of paper leak was found by CBI, and concluded that the allegations stemmed from a manipulated screenshot
