Valmiki scam: Case against ED officials for pressuring official to name CM Siddaramaiah, others
Bengaluru, Jul 22: In a major twist in the Rs 187 crore scam in the Karnataka Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribe Development Corporation, a case was registered on Monday against two Enforcement Directorate officials for pressuring a state government officer to "frame" Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and the Finance Department.
Based on a complaint by Additional Director of the Social Welfare Department Kallesh B, the case was registered at Wilson Garden Police station against two ED officers.
The cases pertain to "joint criminal liability with a common intention, criminal intimidation and intent to provoke breach of peace".
Kallesh has accused an ED official named Murali Kannan and an officer by the surname Mittal.
Besides the Special Investigation Team set up by the Karnataka government, the CBI is also probing the alleged embezzlement of Rs 187 crore, including the illegal transfer of Rs 88 to Hyderabad-based companies.
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The CBI has roped in the Enforcement Directorate to probe the matter, which raided places linked to former minister B Nagendra and Valmiki Corporation chairperson and MLA Basanagouda Daddal. The ED also arrested Nagendra. He is currently in judicial custody.
Kallesh said that during questioning on July 16, Kannan asked him 17 questions and he replied to them promptly. He alleged that Kannan asked him to name former minister B Nagendra, "the highest authority" (referring apparently to CM Siddaramaiah) and the Finance Department.
Further, Kallesh said that Mittal allegedly threatened to frame him in the case and said that if he wanted the ED to help him, he should name the chief minister, Nagendra and the Finance Department.
The complainant claimed that although he was not involved in the crime, he was summoned and threatened, and told to give in writing that the chief minister, the former minister and the Finance Department officials were involved in it.
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Bill to set up single higher education regulator likely to be tabled in Parliament next week
New Delhi (PTI): A Bill which seeks to set up a single regulator for institutions of higher education is required to facilitate universities and other higher educational institutes become independent and self-governing, officials said.
The Bill is likely to be introduced in Parliament next week after it got the Union Cabinet's nod on Friday.
The proposed legislation, which was earlier christened the Higher Education Commission of India (HECI) Bill, has now been named Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill.
A single higher education regulator, which was proposed in the new National Education Policy (NEP), looks to replace the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), and the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE).
"The Bill proposes to set up a Higher Education Commission of India to facilitate universities and other higher educational institutes become independent and self-governing institutions and to promote excellence through a robust and transparent system of accreditation and autonomy. It is likely to be introduced (in Parliament) in the coming week," an official said.
While the UGC presently oversees non-technical higher education in the country, the AICTE oversees technical education, while the NCTE is the regulatory body for teachers' education.
The Commission is proposed to be set up as a single higher education regulator, but medical and law colleges will not be brought under its ambit.
It is proposed to have three major roles -- regulation, accreditation and setting professional standards, officials said.
Funding, which is seen as the fourth vertical, is not proposed to be under the regulator so far. The autonomy for funding is proposed to be with the administrative ministry, they said.
