Shimla, September 2
Soon after polling for the Students Central Association had ended, vigilance men raided various offices of Himachal Pradesh University to seize records pertaining to inquiries against the Vice-Chancellor, Dr S.D. Sharma.

A case under Section 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Sections 420, 468 and 471 of the IPC has been registered against the VC, a Deputy Registrar and some other officials.

The action came after the Registrar, Mr R.D. Panwar, who was unilaterally repatriated by the Vice-Chancellor, expressed apprehension that the records might be destroyed or doctored. He had sealed some of the records last night and deployed securitymen outside his office on coming to know of the VC’s decision to send him back to the government and bring Dr Suresh Kapoor, a senior Professor, in his place.

A team led by Mr A.P. Siddiqui, Superintendent of Police, Vigilance, seized records from the office of the Registrar and the Secrecy Branch. The raid was on at the time of the filing of this report.

Highly placed sources said a case could be registered against Dr Sharma and some other senior functionaries anytime and more raids might follow in and outside the state. Meanwhile, the Governor, Mr V.S. Kokje, today instituted two separate inquiries into the affairs of Himachal Pradesh University in exercise of powers conferred on him by Section 9 of the Himachal Pradesh University Act.

The inquiry into the financial matters is proposed to be conducted by the Accountant-General state and that into the administrative matters is proposed to be conducted by Mr Arvind Kaul, the Additional Chief Secretary. The Comptroller and Auditor-General of India and the state government are being requested to permit the aforesaid officers to take up assignments.

The financial matters will include the mismanagement of university funds, including misappropriation, siphoning-off of funds, accounts and audit of secrecy fund and any mismanagement, hiring of accommodation in and out of the state for the university and any financial mismanagement in such deals, contracts for printing of question papers and financial mismanagement in entering or performing them and all aspects of financial mismanagement, irregularities relating to all the institutions established by the university.

The administrative matters will include the legality and validity of all appointments made in the university, violations of the university Act and the statutes, ordinances and regulations made there under, mistakes and irregularities in printing of question papers and in general conduct of examinations and legality and validity of all administrative actions taken by various authorities of the university.’

The inquiry authorities will have full access to records of the university and the Vice-Chancellor, the Registrar, the Controller of Examinations, the Finance Officer and all other officers of the university shall produce the records in their custody before the inquiry authorities. In case the records are not produced , the matter will be brought to the notice of the Chancellor for action.