Renowned for his academic achievements, Professor Rajeev Sijariya of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a high-profile bribery case linked to the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Sijariya, who also served as a coordinator at NAAC, was arrested during a nationwide raid operation conducted by the CBI across 20 locations in cities such as Chennai, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Palamu, Sambalpur, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Gautam Buddh Nagar, and New Delhi.
The investigation centers around a bribery scheme involving the NAAC rating process. Professor Sijariya and other individuals, including Samendra Nath Saha, the chairman of the NAAC inspection committee, are accused of accepting bribes to grant an A++ rating to certain educational institutions. Along with Sijariya, the CBI arrested 10 other individuals involved in the scandal.
Rajeev Sijariya had a distinguished career before his arrest. After completing an M.Sc. in Physics-Electronics, he pursued further qualifications in Marketing Management and Human Resource Management, eventually earning a Ph.D. in Management-Consumer Behavior. Prior to entering academia, he worked in the corporate sector for four years, with positions at Kirloskar Oil Engines Limited and Majestic Auto Limited.
Sijariya’s academic journey began in 2002 when he became the Assistant Professor and founding head of the Department of Humanities and Management at the College of Science and Engineering in Jhansi. Over the years, he held various esteemed positions at different institutions, including as the Head and Deputy Director of the Institute of Business Studies at Chaudhary Charan Singh University in Meerut. In 2020, he joined JNU as a professor at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee School of Management and Entrepreneurship, where he had been serving until his arrest in the bribery case.
This arrest follows a series of raids and investigations that have revealed widespread corruption within the NAAC system. The CBI has emphasized the severity of this scam and urged those with information on similar illegal activities to come forward.
