VADODARA/ANAND: A committee appointed to probe alleged financial irregularity to the tune of Rs 29.22 crore at Sardar Patel University (SPU) in 2015 has issued summons to chief accounts officer (CAO), former and current auditors of the university.
The trio has been called on Friday.
According to case details, irregularities had come to light in 2015 that the university had defaulted Rs 4 crore in tax deduction at source (TDS) since 2004-05.
Prof Shirish Kulkarni, who had taken over as the varsity’s vice-chancellor in 2016, had removed all the chartered accountants (CAs) who were handling the university accounts.
Further probe in the university accounts revealed that there was an accounting mismatch to the tune of Rs 29.22 crore.
It is not known whether the irregularity is a scam, accounting error, fraud or serious financial mismanagement but financial transactions of the university are not matching, said an official.
“Apart from an existing account by the name of university’s own funds, another account by the name of university’s own funds (general) was created on April 1, 2015.
This account shows Rs 29.22 crore debited from it,” said the official.
The university’s CAO could not provide any satisfactory explanation for the mismatch.
“If this amount is debited, there has to be expenditure against it or some asset worth the amount,” the official said.
After SPU’s syndicate members demanded strict action against CAO NK Bhatt, Kulkarni has appointed a committee which is headed by retired judge of Gujarat High Court Dhiren Karia and has accountant general from Rajkot office Narendra Dave, professor PK Priyan from MBA department, syndicate member KP Patel and CA Sanjeev Shah, forensic auditor as members.
The committee has held three meetings so far.
On Friday, it has summoned Bhatt, former auditor K G Patel and current auditor Alok Shah.
Anand: Sardar Patel university chief accounts officer, auditors summoned in Rs 29 crore irregularity case
