Vigilance closure report says further probe waste of time

JALANDHAR : Over two years after Punjab vigilance bureau arrested Rajneesh Arora, former vicechancellor of IK Gujral Punjab Technical University (PTU), Kapurthala, for allegedly committing major financial irregularities and administrative lapses during his tenure as V-C in January 2018, the department filed a closure report in the case on August 3. Nine others had also been booked.

“If the charge-sheet would be filed in court in the case, there is dim possibility of its success, which would waste the time of court,” reads the closure report that Hoshiarpur vigilance deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Dalbir Singh has filed in the Kapurthala court. Eight of 10 accused, including V-C Arora, had links with the RSS and the BJP.THE vigilance had registered the case following an inquiry report that former IAS officer Surjit Singh Dhillon had submitted to the state government, indicting Arora for financial irregularities and bypassing norms to appoint consultants. Arora had remained V-C from 2008, getting a three-year extension in 2011. The vigilance FIR claimed that Arora made a payment of Rs 25 crore from the varsity to a private company, M/S NETIIT, as counselling fees, without following financial rules. In the closure report, the vigilance says that the board of governors of varsity had accepted the audit reports, after being put up before the finance committee.