HC puts Punjab, varsity on notice on PIL seeking probe

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Tuesday put Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, and the Punjab government on notice on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking probe by a retired judge into the affairs of university. The high court has sought response by May 1 on the plea filed by a Delhibased NGO, Action for Vigilance and Knowledge for Empowerment.

It has been alleged that the university never prepared a balance sheet since its inception to indicate the exact status of assets, liabilities, loans and advances to ascertain the excess of income over expenditure etc. The petitioner has referred to the Comptroller and Auditor General report of 2015 stating that the CAG indicted the university of non-adjustment of advances of ₹4.78 crore. Neither the recovery of advances given was made nor any action was taken against the defaulters, the petition states, adding that the university even admitted to the CAG that during the past 33 years, a staggering amount of ₹4,878 crore has not been adjusted.

The petition also alleges that the university gave 8,027 degrees to students of unspecified and unapproved courses in violation of the UGC rules and demanded that the same be declared as irregular and invalid.

Citing an example of the state of affairs at the university, the petition alleges GNDU has its own printing press with 50 machines and staff of 57 but still made an expenditure of ₹5.78 crore to outside vendors for printing purposes. A probe by the Vigilance Bureau is already underway into it, the court was told.

The court was further told that the university was found to have paid service tax of ₹24.02 lakh out of its sanctioned grant which was never recovered from the tenants having shops in the complex of the university. These instances have been quoted from the CAG report of 2015.

THE HC HAS SOUGHT RESPONSE BY MAY 1 ON THE PLEA FILED BY A DELHIBASED NGO