CBI case against NDA principal

The CBI has registered a case against the principal and four other faculty members of the Pune-based National Defence Academy (NDA), the premier joint services academy of the Indian armed forces.

The CBI registered a case under sections 120-B, 420, 465, 471 of Indian Penal Code and sections 13(2) r/w 13(1)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 against principal, NDA; a professor (Political Science), an associate professor (Chemistry), another associate professor (Mathematics) and head of department, Chemistry, NDA and unknown others including certain officials.

The principal and the others have been charged with criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption for alleged irregularities in appointment of staff in the premier institute located at Khadakvasla in Pune.

“Searches are being conducted at the premises including the office and residences of the accused which led to the recovery of incriminating documents,” CBI officials said.

“Certain faculty members of NDA entered into a conspiracy with unknown officials including UPSC and HQ-IDS (Ministry of Defence), got selected and appointed in different posts of teaching faculty in NDA without possessing mandatory teaching/research experience as prescribed by UPSC and as required by Ministry of Defence, on the basis of forged and false certificates indicating their service/teaching experience and exaggerated Academic Performance Indicator (API) score,” CBI officials said.

It was further alleged that the exaggerated API score sheets of the professors and associate professors were forwarded to the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) by some faculty members of the NSA.