Bribery for NAAC Rating: KL University Officials and NAAC Team Members Arrested in Guntur

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested officials from KL University along with members of the NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council) inspection team for allegedly engaging in bribery to secure a high accreditation rating. The arrests took place in Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, where the authorities detained a total of 10 individuals, including officials from Koneru Lakshmaiah Education Foundation (KLEF) and members of the NAAC inspection team.

According to the CBI, the arrested individuals were involved in a bribery scheme to obtain an 'A ' accreditation rating for KL University. Following the arrests, the CBI registered a case against both KLEF officials and NAAC inspection team members and launched a formal investigation.

As part of the probe, the CBI conducted searches at 20 locations, including Chennai, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, Palamu, Sambalpur, Bhopal, Bilaspur, Gautam Buddha Nagar, and New Delhi. During these searches, authorities seized cash, gold, laptops, mobile phones, and other evidence allegedly linked to the bribery case.

Among the seized items were approximately ₹37 lakh in cash, six Lenovo laptops, an iPhone 16 Pro, a gold coin, and American Tourister trolley bags. The arrested individuals include KLEF Vice-Chancellor GP Sarathi Varma, KLEF Vice President Koneru Raja Hareen, and KL University Hyderabad Campus Director A. Ramakrishna. Additionally, six members of the NAAC inspection team were also taken into custody.

The CBI has also registered an FIR against 14 individuals, including senior NAAC officials and KLEF representatives. Officials stated that the investigation is ongoing, and further actions will follow based on the findings. The incident has raised concerns over the integrity of the NAAC accreditation process.