Aligarh, April 20 (Inditop) The human resources development (HRD) ministry has initiated an enquiry against Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Vice Chancellor P.K. Abdul Azis for alleged financial irregularities and misconduct, varsity sources said Monday.
The decision to conduct the inquiry against Azis comes after some members of the varsity’s apex body – the executive council (EC) – submitted a report on his financial anomalies committed to HRD Minister Arjun Singh and President Pratibha Patil, sources said.
The EC members have accused Azis of claiming travel expenses without official purpose, paying income tax out of university funds and spending over Rs.2 crore (Rs.20 million) on his official house.
“Azis blatantly and recklessly violated all the standard financial norms and proprieties during his 21-month tenure,” the reports says. The report has been prepared by eight members of the EC.
Azis was appointed vice chancellor in May 2007. Prior to that he was the vice chancellor of Cochin University of Science and Technology in Kerala.
“He has spend nearly Rs.5 lakh (Rs.500,000) from June 2007-May 2008, mostly without official purpose, in Cochin where his family resides. He committed a grave financial irregularity by charging the university TA/DA of Rs.81,654 on joining the university as as expenses of four people, including his wife and two children. This is a gross violation of Clause 30 of the travelling and halting rules.” the report says.
A copy of the report is with IANS.
The report also says that Azis got Rs.93,053 sanctioned under home travel concession for sending his family back to Kerela within few days of his joining.
The report also points out that while Azis visited Jamai Milia Islamia University in Delhi as the chief guest at a conference, he charged fare via Cochin and claimed TA/DA of Rs.64,143 and taxi charges of Rs.12,797.
The report also accuses the vice chancellor and the registrar of paying their income tax for the financial year 2007-2008 out of the university funds.
The EC members said that Azis purchased furniture worth more than Rs.50 lakh (Rs.5 million) from Kerala without statutory sanction from the finance committee and the central purchase committee of the university.
“It was on April 8 that we submitted the report to the President Pratibha Patil. The same report was earlier submitted to Arjun Singh on March 28,” Wasim Ahmad, a visitor nominee to the EC, told IANS by telephone.
“We have demanded strict disciplinary action against P.K. Abdul Azis for violating the standard financial norms and proprieties,” he said.
When contacted, Azis told Inditop: “It is a vicious campaign to malign my image. I have not done
