ARRESTED BY the CBI in a bribery case linked to the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC), Rajeev Sijariya, a professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University’s Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship (ABVSME), is no stranger to controversy.
In 2023, his two-year tenure as Dean of ABVSME was cut short after several faculty members accused him of ‘undemocratic decision-making’ and ‘instigating students against faculty members’, The Indian Express has learnt.
‘He never involved his school’s faculty in major decisions, which created discontent. Ultimately, he had to step down,’ said a colleague at JNU, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Another professor and an official from the JNU administration confirmed this.
Sijariya was appointed as the Dean in 2023 itself. Heeraman Tiwari was eventually appointed to lead the school, set up in 2020. An order to this effect, issued on March 14, 2024, stated, ‘The Vice Chancellor… has appointed Prof Tiwari, Centre of Historical Studies, School of Social Sciences as Dean, ABVSME.’
On Monday, the JNU administration suspended Sijariya, who is among 10 people arrested by the CBI in an alleged bribery case tied to the NAAC.
According to the FIR, members of the NAAC inspection team demanded a bribe of ?1.8 crore from Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation in Andhra Pradesh for a favourable inspection report. After negotiations, the team allegedly agreed to accept ?10 lakh for the committee chairman, ?3 lakh for each member, and perks such as a laptop and travel expenses for one member’s wife. It is alleged that Sijariya brokered the deal and demanded ?1.3 crore for himself, although he settled for ?28 lakh.
Sijariya was also the former president of the ABVP’s unit in Uttar Pradesh’s Meerut.
Sources at JNU told The Indian Express on Monday Sijariya was suspended after a three-member committee gave its suggestion to the V-C. The suspension order issued by Pandit stated, ‘Rajeev Sijariya… has prima facie been found to be involved in the corruption case related to allegations of bribery for securing a favourable A++ NAAC accreditation rating to KLEF… The undersigned in exercise of her powers… hereby places … Sijariya under suspension with immediate effect from the services of the University pending the outcome of the CBI inquiry/findings and departmental inquiry.’
Meanwhile, University Grants Commission Chairman M Jagadesh Kumar, who also heads the NAAC governing council, said, ‘NAAC is committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and transparency in the accreditation process. Any allegations of wrongdoing are taken very seriously, and appropriate actions will be taken following set protocols and legal procedures. NAAC is continuously working to strengthen the processes to ensure such incidents are averted. NAAC remains dedicated to maintaining the quality and credibility of assessment and accreditation in India.’
Sijariya joined the JNU in 2020 during the tenure of former V-C M Jagadesh Kumar. His academic qualifications include a PhD in Management with a focus on Consumer Behavior, an MBA in Marketing and Human Resource Management, and an MSc in Physics (Electronics). He has over 25 years of professional experience, including 21 years in academia and administrative leadership.
Before joining the JNU, he held positions such as Professor and Head of the Institute of Business Studies and Deputy Director at Sir Chhotu Ram Institute of Engineering and Technology, CCS University, Meerut (2016-2020). He also served as Professor and Founder Director at the HR Institute of Science and Technology in Ghaziabad (2012-2016) and Professor and Principal at the United Institute of Management, Greater Noida (2009-2011).
