SHILLONG, May 30: Law Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh has sought two months to conduct an internal inquiry into the allegations of corruption and financial mismanagement against Indrajit Dube, the Vice Chancellor of the National Law University, Meghalaya (NLUM).
She sought the time during a meeting with a Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) delegation led by its general secretary, Donald V Thabah, who called for Prof. Dube’s removal.
Thabah later told reporters that the law minister assured them the findings of the inquiry would be submitted to the university’s Finance Committee, Executive Committee, and Governing Council.
“We were assured that appropriate action would be taken based on the findings of the inquiry,” he said.
Thabah further revealed that through the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the KSU found that Prof. Dube frequently travels to Delhi, Kolkata, and other parts of the country at the university’s expense.
He alleged that many of these trips, marked official, lack supporting documentation such as invitation letters or official correspondence.
“Since the inception of NLUM in 2023, Prof. Dube has spent Rs 15,10,347 on travel-related expenses, including flight tickets, accommodation, and food. Most of these appear to be personal trips, thereby misusing state and public funds for personal benefit,” Thabah claimed.
He said the union found out via RTI that NLUM organised ‘Climate Investment Coalition for the Global South’, an event in Delhi on February 20.
He said the KSU has no issues with the total budget of the event, estimated at Rs 25 lakh, but condemned the expenditure of the state’s money on alcoholic beverages.
“The bill shows Rs 3.56 lakh or so was spent on alcoholic beverages by Prof. Dube during the said programme. This is total misuse of funds and such wasteful expenditure should not be reimbursed to him by the state government,” Thabah said.
Citing the RTI findings, the KSU general secretary said the VC is entitled to reimbursements for travel, accommodation, and medical expenditure for official purposes only.
“But the union gathered hundreds of his food receipts, amounting to lakhs of money. Food is essential, but there should be a cap or a limit to the expenditure on this head. The receipts we gathered show that Prof. Dube spent lavishly on food at fancy restaurants, coffee from Starbucks, etc., and all the bills are to be paid by the state government,” he said.
Stating that NLUM lacks teaching faculty in various subjects, he alleged that the VC makes no effort to publish recruitment advertisements but incurs bills for materials that have no significance.
Alleging irregularities and nepotism in recruitment by Prof Dube, Thabah said the KSU had raised concerns over the illegal appointment of Gurpreet Singh as the Deputy Registrar, which led to his resignation.
He accused the VC of neglecting qualified candidates from the indigenous tribal community and illegally handing over the post to Singh without publishing the result of the interview on August 30, 2024.
“Through this action, the VC unlawfully went against the Meghalaya State Reservation Policy and also converted a permanent post to tenure against the advertisement to accommodate Singh,” he said.
“Prof Dube floated the advertisement for the Registrar, who is now an indigenous tribal. Such an act shows that he has no consideration for the decisions of the General Council and works in a dictatorial manner,” Thabah said.
To substantiate claims of nepotism in the NLUM, he cited the example of Ankita Chakraborty, who has been appointed as an assistant professor without fulfilling the eligibility criteria of the University Grants Commission and not possessing a PhD at the time of joining.
“Some of the other assistant and associate professors appointed are directly or indirectly connected to IIT Kharagpur or are from a particular region. A few others have political or influential ties with the government. These indicate nepotism in the NLUM,” he said.
The KSU general secretary said Prof Dube can appoint anyone under Section 18 of the First Statute of the NLUM.
“This section grants the VC excess power and has led to corrupt practices. It lets him appoint individuals as ‘professor of practice’, paying them lakhs of money without them taking any classes, lectures, or workshops for the students. There is also no accountability and transparency in the selection process, and everything is left at the discretion of the VC,” he said.
