The government today suspended All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) Chairman R A Yadav following allegations that he accepted a bribe from the owner of an engineering college in Andhra Pradesh.
AICTE Vice-Chairman Prof S S Mantha will hold temporary charge as chairman of the premier education authority.
“Chairman of AICTE Prof R A Yadav, who is under investigation for a criminal offence, has been placed under suspension today so that there is no possibility of investigation being influenced by his continuation in office,” said a statement from the Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD).
Union HRD Minister Kapil Sibal took the step after Yadav, appointed as the chairman of the premier regulatory body in 2008, defied the ministry’s instruction to step down or go on leave in view of the inquiry against him in the corruption case filed by the CBI early this month.
“Yadav did not step down on his own nor did he go on leave. It was not appropriate on part of Yadav to continue in the post given the investigation against him. So, he has been suspended,” ministry sources said.
Yadav was, however, unavailable for comment.
The CBI, on July 16, arrested AICTE member-secretary K Narayan Rao, besides registering corruption cases against Yadav, Regional Officer Om Dalal, Deputy Director Robinder Randhawa and Advisor H C Rai.
The investigating agency had also found assets (including cash) worth Rs 3.5 crore from the residential and official premises of Yadav and advisor H C Rai, who has been sent back to his parent cadre.
Dalal has also been placed under suspension and Rao deemed to have been suspended from the date of his arrest, said the ministry.