Meerut: The vigilance department has tightened its noose on Chaudhary Charan Singh University vice-chancellor NK Taneja, former VC SK Kak and 11 varsity staffers in a case of cheating, forgery and corruption. The case was lodged by the vigilance department in December last year.According to highly placed sources, that the department has sought permission from the state government to begin prosecution as two of the accused are gazetted officers.In its complaint, the vigilance department has claimed that during his tenure as VC, Kak in connivance with other staffers had misused his office for making appointments and in granting affiliation to colleges by misguiding the varsity’s working committee which has a say in appointments and affiliations. Taneja was teaching at the varsity when Kak was VC.An FIR under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged document as genuine) and relevant sections of Anti-Corruption Act, 1988 was registered at Meerut's Medical police station on December 6 last year.The department, as mentioned in the FIR, claimed that Kak, during his tenure between 2008 and 2010, approved affiliation of 22 colleges in different courses without taking the varsity's working committee on board over the approvals which was in direct violation of the University Act, 1973.In another act of misappropriation and glaring corruption, a private institute, Rudraksh Institute of Technology, was granted affiliation by the varsity. The vigilance department sleuths later discovered that the college existed only on paper with neither building nor proper staff in place, which is mandatory. A three-member team which was constituted by Kak for spot inspection of the institute had submitted a report in favour of granting affiliation to the institute.Sources claimed that the vigilance department has filed a plea with the state administration for prosecution order against VC Taneja, former VC Kak and all others. “A meeting regarding the development has been scheduled in Lucknow on July 25. Once we get a go-ahead, a chargesheet will be produced in the court,” a vigilance sleuth told TOI.Meanwhile, CCSU VC Taneja claimed that he is neither aware about any ongoing corruption case probe nor any other recent development. “This is being done to tarnish my image for the next term. My tenure as VC of the varsity has been smooth. I took up the initiatives to improve the university on several fronts. I have written a letter to vigilance department to enquire if they have recommended anything,” the VC said.

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