📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Omprasadsohani
Education
Barkatullah University under probe for Rs 275 crore salary payouts lacking attendance records
✍️ Amar Ujala · Madhya Pradesh
🗓 04 Nov 2026, 05:16 PM
👁 10
An RTI query revealed that Barkatullah University allegedly spent about Rs 275 crore on staff salaries and allowances from 1988 to 2023, but could not produce attendance or payment registers for the period.
An information request filed under the Right to Information Act sought records of attendance and salary disbursements at Barkatullah University, Bhopal, covering the years 1988 to 2023. The university’s response indicated that roughly Rs 275 crore was paid to staff as salaries and allowances during this period. However, the department could not furnish the corresponding attendance sheets or detailed payment ledgers.
University officials confirmed that regular salary payments continued throughout the decades, but admitted that archival records for the earlier years are either missing or not digitised. The inability to produce concrete attendance data has raised questions about the basis on which the large sum was disbursed.
Opposition parties and university employee unions have called for an independent audit, urging the state government to involve the Comptroller and Auditor General. They argue that transparency is essential to ensure that public funds are not misused.
The university administration said it will cooperate with any investigative agency and is reviewing its record‑keeping practices. A formal inquiry is expected to be ordered by the Madhya Pradesh higher‑education authority.
The episode adds to growing scrutiny over financial management in Indian higher‑education institutions, where large payrolls often lack systematic documentation.
University officials confirmed that regular salary payments continued throughout the decades, but admitted that archival records for the earlier years are either missing or not digitised. The inability to produce concrete attendance data has raised questions about the basis on which the large sum was disbursed.
Opposition parties and university employee unions have called for an independent audit, urging the state government to involve the Comptroller and Auditor General. They argue that transparency is essential to ensure that public funds are not misused.
The university administration said it will cooperate with any investigative agency and is reviewing its record‑keeping practices. A formal inquiry is expected to be ordered by the Madhya Pradesh higher‑education authority.
The episode adds to growing scrutiny over financial management in Indian higher‑education institutions, where large payrolls often lack systematic documentation.