UP: Agriculture university's Pro-VC, asst finance comptroller arrested in finance-appointment irregularity case

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], February 4 (ANI): The pro-vice chancellor and an assistant finance comptroller of Sam Higginbottom University of Agriculture, Technology and Sciences (SHUATS) have been arrested in an appointment and finance irregularity case, the police said on Saturday.
The University's pro-vice chancellor Dr Sarvjeet Herbert and assistant finance comptroller Ashok Singh were initially taken into custody for interrogation, and were arrested on Friday with the court's permission, officials said.
Prayagraj Special Task Force (STF) filed two FIRs against 11 officials of SHUATS including the Vice Chancellor Rajendra B Lal at the Naini police station.
In the first FIR, STF alleged that the SHUATS officials have been involved in a financial irregularity of worth Rs 5.5 crores which included travel expenses, salary allocation, increment benefits, training allowance and dispersal in illegal appointments.
In its second FIR, the STF alleged that there had been illegal recruitment of 69 professors, assistant professors and associate professors of the university from 1984 to 2017.
The STF claimed that various forged documents were used in the illegal appointments of the faculty and sometimes, they were even recruited without an application.
The commissioner ordered the investigation after receiving multiple complaints against the university, an STF official said.
The commissioner ordered the university's audit department to prepare a report, and was shared with the Special Task Force in Prayagraj, the official added. (ANI)