Why Haryana Govt. accusing Ashoka University of financial embezzlement?

Ashoka University has been accused of "embezzlement". The Haryana department of higher education has issued a just cause notice to the university team for not admitting enough in-state students or granting them fee concessions, under the provisions of the state's Private Universities Act, 2006, reported Indian Express.

According to the Act, a university in the state must reserve a minimum of 25 per cent of vacancies for the admission of students residing in Haryana. Of these, 10 per cent of the places must be reserved for students belonging to the SC category.

The university may also be required to offer load concessions for such undergraduates: a full load concession will be given at one-fifth of 25%; two-fifths of 25% will be granted in concession at 50%, and the rest for obtaining a 25% concession.

Authorities said the university breached both regulations by "falsifying the figures, making it a blatant case of mismanagement and misinformation causing embezzlement." The state warned the university to file a felony case if it does not respond to the present case within the stipulated time. Additional Chief Secretary (Higher Education) Anand Mohan Sharan has issued the cause of the show to the university.

“It has been found that there is a serious lapse on the part of Ashoka University, Sonipat, in clear violation of the Haryana Private Universities Act, 2006. Thus, in the exercise of the power conferred upon me, the Vice-Chancellor, Ashoka University, is hereby served a show-cause notice to explain why the penalty prescribed under the Act may not be imposed and why an FIR may not be lodged for financial embezzlement?,” the ACS wrote.

The university said it has strictly followed the requirements of the law. All students who gained admission from the state received fee concessions. It further added that it has offered financial aid to more than 45 per cent of its students over the years, accounting for more than Rs 325 crore in scholarships, which goes beyond the requirements of the Act, it added.

Ashoka University also stated that it has followed a merit-based admissions policy under Section 35 of the Act, adding that none of the state's deserving students was denied places. Furthermore, seats not filled through the state quota remained mostly unfilled, even after a provision for the transfer of seats to other categories, it added. Ashoka University has also said it has responded to the government's demonstration notice.

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