CBI officials have launched a series of surprise raids in Guntur, targeting Koneru Lakshmaiah University (KLU) after allegations emerged regarding bribes paid to secure a higher NAAC accreditation. The raids, part of a nationwide investigation, led to the arrest of KLU’s Vice-Chancellor G.V. Sarathi Varma, after strong evidence confirmed the bribery claims. Shockingly, members of the NAAC inspection team were also found involved in the scandal, raising further concerns over the integrity of the accreditation process.
KLU, located in the Vaddeswaram area of Guntur, came under scrutiny after multiple complaints suggested the university had bribed officials to secure an A++ rating from NAAC. Upon gathering sufficient evidence, CBI teams swiftly arrested Sarathi Varma along with 10 other individuals. Additionally, 14 more people have been charged in connection with the case. The investigation revealed that bribes were paid to NAAC officials in exchange for favorable accreditation results.
The CBI extended its investigation across 20 locations in India, including major cities like Chennai, Bengaluru, Vijayawada, and New Delhi. Over 15 teams were deployed to conduct the raids, where authorities seized valuable items such as cash, gold, laptops, and mobile phones—all believed to be part of the bribery scheme. Among the recovered items were nearly ₹37 lakh in cash, six Lenovo laptops, an iPhone 16 Pro, a gold coin, and an American Tourister trolley bag.
Those arrested included key figures from KLU, such as Vice-Chancellor G.V. Sarathi Varma, Vice-President Kona Raja Harin, and Hyderabad campus Director A. Ramakrishna. Additionally, the chairman of Ramchandra Chandravamsi University and a NAAC inspection team member, Samarendra Nath Saha, was also detained. The list of arrestees extended to several academic professionals from other institutions, including Professor Rajeev Sijaria from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Dr. D. Gopal, Dean of Bharat Institute of Law, and Manas Kumar Mishra, Director of GL Bajaj Institute of Technology and Management, among others. All of these individuals were found to be members of the implicated NAAC inspection teams.
In the wake of the arrests, the CBI has also filed an FIR against KLU President Koneru Satyanarayana, as well as other individuals involved, including Dr. L. Manjunath Rao, a former NAAC advisor, and M.S. Shyamsundar, a NAAC advisor based in Bengaluru. This wide-reaching investigation into bribery within the academic accreditation process has sparked concerns about the transparency and fairness of the accreditation system in India.
This development highlights the ongoing challenges in maintaining the integrity of academic institutions and their ranking systems. The CBI’s efforts in uncovering such malpractices reflect a broader commitment to tackling corruption within India’s education sector.
