CBI files case against former VC of Visva Bharati University, Sushanta Duttagupta for financial irregularities

CBI registered a case against former Visva-Bharati University Vice-Chancellor Professor Sushanta Duttagupta for financial irregularities.

Duttagupta received excess payment to the tune of 13 lac by suppressing facts that he was receiving pension from his employment at Jawaharlal Nehru University  (JNU).

The action against him was taken after a two-year-long preliminary inquiry into the allegations against him during 2012 and 2013.

In February 2015, the HRD Ministry had constituted a three-member committee to probe complaints of financial and administrative irregularities allegedly committed by Dattagupta.

Based on a September 2015 recommendation made by the Ministry of human resource development (HRD), President Pranab Mukherjee sacked Dattagupta from office on February 15, 2016 - seven months before the end of his term, making him the first VC to be sacked from a central university.

Irregularities allegedly being probed included Duttagupta drawing his basic salary of Rs 80,000 per month from VBU along with a monthly pension of Rs 17,596 from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) without getting his pension deducted from his pay, as a result drawing two benefits at one time. It was alleged that many appointments made during his tenure failed to meet eligibility criteria prescribed by the UGC.

Moreover, ignoring the government rule, Duttagupta approved payment of Rs 5 lakh as honorarium to an enquiry officer even though the government has fixed a ceiling of Rs 75,000 for a departmental inquiry. That he got personal bills for alcoholic beverages reimbursed by the university during his stay at the India International Centre in New Delhi during August-September 2012, which is a serious case of financial impropriety.

He was involved in the alleged corrupt activities during his tenure at Visva Bharati University.

The prestigious central university known for its unique teaching approach that is more attuned with nature was founded by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and boasts of alumni such as Nobel-winning economist Amartya Sen, legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray, art historian R Siva Kumar among others.

The CBI had alleged that he hid the fact that he was receiving pension from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), receiving excess payment of Rs 13 Lakhs.

Allegations levelled against him also involves hiring a private law firm to represent the University which charged higher fees than the government-approved counsels.