In addition to complaints about a corrupt AICTE approval process, something that its own senior officers concede has been an issue dogging the regulator, Yadav himself has been the subject of a vigilance inquiry by the ministry after an anonymous allegation that he was drawing both a salary from AICTE and a pension from the University of Delhi. Such double pay is generally not allowed under government codes.
Against a backdrop of a booming private education sector and heightened demand for skilled labour, AICTE also has faced criticism from entrepreneurs, schools and the Maharashtra government that say it has been slow to react to changing times.
Its requirements, from the number of books in the library to the acreage of a campus, have been blamed for fostering an environment of corruption, bribery of inspectors and the entry of many shoddy institutes.
On its website and in literature, the Shri Balwant Institute’s connection to Yadav is not obvious. While AICTE guidelines require institutes to disclose their board of governors on a website, in Shri Balwant Institute’s case, Sushil Yadav is simply listed as Ms Sushil and Rajesh Kumar Yadav is listed as Mr Rajesh Kumar. Both are described as industrialists.
Mint has independently verified that Sushil Yadav, Rajesh Yadav and Bhavesh Yadav run the trust. Sushil Yadav and Rajesh Yadav declined repeated phone calls and visits requesting an interview by Mint. At the two colleges owned by the trust, a security guard stopped this reporter and a photographer at the gate. When asked, he said that Sushil Yadav was not on the premises. A questionnaire left for her did not yield a response.
The address of the trust is listed as Shalimar Bagh, a section of North Delhi. When Mint attempted to reach the Yadavs at this address, which is surrounded by a tall gate, a woman who identified herself as their daughter over a gate intercom said they were not home.
R.A. Yadav also did not return calls or emails for comment. He has repeatedly declined requests for comment from Mint or simply deferred interviews to a later time.
On Friday, Yadav briefly met this reporter and again said he would get in touch to answer questions. He declined to take written questions that were offered to him about Shri Balwant Institute.
Last week, the ministry of human resource development (HRD), which oversees education, did not comment on how far its vigilance inquiry into the acting chairman has proceeded.
Chief vigilance officer and joint secretary at the HRD ministry, Sunil Kumar, who sought comments from AICTE on the double salary issue of its acting chairman, said his portfolio has changed and he is not the chief vigilance officer any more. In a previous interview with Mint, Kumar had confirmed that the ministry has asked AICTE to respond to the charge.
Kumar’s senior, R.P. Agrawal, secretary in charge of higher education, did not return calls for comment. And K.S. Mahajan, undersecretary in-charge of vigilance in the ministry, said no written record exists of any vigilance enquiry against Yadav.