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Savitribai Phule Pune University VC Sends Tech Head on Leave, Orders Forensic Audit After Budget Session Halted

Senators halted the budget session over an overdue audit, prompting the move.

Overview

  • After members stopped the budget proceedings, the vice-chancellor said he will send technology department head Aditya Abhyankar on compulsory leave and launch a forensic audit within a month.
  • He said India’s national auditor is already reviewing accounts and admitted the promised audit report will miss the March 31 deadline.
  • Senator Vinayak Ambekar alleged Rs 2.5–3 crore in inflated costs tied to a state tribal department data analytics project handled by the tech unit, including Rs 1 crore billed as an implementation fee.
  • Members also pressed long-running complaints about key posts held on an in-charge basis, stalled hiring, delayed exam results, and uneven research funding that they say hurt teaching and student services.
  • The university will commission an external review of operations from 2017 to 2024 and form a probe panel with a retired judge, a chartered accountant, and senate members, a step that could reshape spending and oversight.