TED News Desk, Ajmer: The Vice-Chancellor of MDS University in Ajmer, Rajasthan allegedly asked for a bribe, in exchange for the allocation of extra seats and a test centre, from a private institution affiliated to MDS University in Nagaur. Dr Ram Pal Singh, the VC has been arrested by Rajasthan’s Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) along with middlemen Ranjit Singh and Mahipal Singh.
They were arrested by the ACB on Monday evening. Ranjit, one of the middlemen, was caught in the act taking Rs. 2.2 lakh worth of cash at the official residence of the VC. The ACB got the information about this corruption operation via a private college in Bhilwara. This college had applied for affiliation in December 2018, to which the university accepted to grant affiliation in 2020 after completing the initial inspection.
Afterwards, one of the middlemen, Ranjit Singh, contacted SK Bansal, the owner of the Bhilwara college and asked for a bribe of Rs 2 lakhs, fixing a meeting with the VC as well. The ACB was approached by Bansal and was able to confirm the demand of 1 lakh and started surveilling the VC and Ranjit Singh. During the surveillance, the ACB acquired information about another bribery attempt by the said VC from a private college located in Nagaur. Acting on a tip, the ACB raided the VC’s residence and caught Ranjit accepting the cash of 2.2 lakh and Rs 80 thousand via Google Pay from Mahipal Singh of the Nagaur college.
According to ACB officers, the documents of the bribery case along with many other files have been confiscated from the VC office. The mobile and laptops of VC, Ranjit, his driver and security guards have also been confiscated.
It should be noted that the VC previously held a national webinar on the New Economic Policy attended by President Ramnath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday. Ram Pal Singh was made the VC of MDS University, Ajmer in October 2018 by Rajasthan’s previous BJP government. His appointment came through a couple of hours before the Vidhan Sabha election dates for polls were announced by the Election Commission of India in Rajasthan. Even as the VC of JNV University in Jodhpur, another government university, he was appointed by the previous Governor of Rajasthan, Kalyan Singh.
This related news sheds a lot of light in cancerous rot spread throughout the academia prevailing via government universities. Rajasthan’s academic circles are shaken with this corruption scandal, making everyone question the authenticity and honour of the state’s academia.