CBI books JNU professor, five others for ₹88 lakh financial fraud

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has re-registered a case against A L Ramanathan, former professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), and five others over alleged financial misappropriation exceeding ₹88 lakh. The case was handed over to the central agency after Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena approved its transfer from the Delhi Police.

JNU had filed an FIR on February 15, 2022, at the Vasant Kunj North Police Station, accusing Ramanathan, along with Section Officers Sneh Rajora Asiwal and Urmil Punhani, Project Assistant K Murali, and Computer Operators Nazir Hussain and Ritesh Kumar, of irregularities in the financial management of a university project.

The alleged discrepancies came to light during the 2021 preparation of the university’s annual balance sheet, prompting the Vice-Chancellor to refer the matter to JNU’s Finance Committee. A Fact-Finding Committee was subsequently tasked with probing the issue.

The committee reportedly found prima facie evidence of financial misappropriation amounting to Rs 88,10,712 (Rupees Eighty-Eight Lakh Ten Thousand Seven Hundred Twelve) and implicated both regular, contractual, and outsourced staff in the irregularities.

Ramanathan had been suspended in 2021 and has now been formally terminated from JNU. The CBI investigation is ongoing.