NAVTAN KUMAR  New Delhi | 28th Sep 2013

Sunday Guardian

hree Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) directors either joined or got associated with Naveen Jindal’s O.P. Jindal Global University in various capacities, after retirement. These directors are Ashwani Kumar, R.K. Raghavan and D.R. Kaarthikeyan. Naveen Jindal is being probed by the CBI for allegedly misrepresenting facts to bag the Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block in Jharkhand in 2008, along with another group firm Gagan Sponge Iron Private Limited. The CBI has registered an FIR against Jindal in the case and questioned him on Thursday.

It must be mentioned here that the CBI started investigating the coal block allocation case much after all three retired from the agency.

Ashwani Kumar, who was appointed as Governor of Nagaland in March this year and later of Manipur as well, became a full time faculty member of the O.P. Jindal Global Business School, where he taught MBA students organisational behaviour and human resources management. Kumar was CBI director from August 2008 to November 2010, a period when coal block allocations were being made in bulk. He also worked in the Special Protection Group (SPG) dealing with the security of the Prime Minister.

An IPS officer of the 1973 Himachal Pradesh cadre, Kumar also provided guidance for developing the Centre for Penology, Criminal Justice and Police Studies in the O.P. Jindal Global Law School. He was also associated with the Centre for Innovative Leadership and the Centre for Corporate Governance and Applied Ethics at the Jindal Global Business School. He was supposed to retire in August 2010 but was given an extension of four months.

The CBI, under Ashwani Kumar, handled the Sohrabuddin case and the high profile Arushi-Hemraj murder case.

Another former director, R.K. Raghavan, who was in charge from January 1999 to April 2001, is still a consulting adviser in O.P. Jindal’s Board of Management. After retirement from the CBI, Raghavan showed interest in cyber security and created different cyber crime cells. He is a consultant in the area of cyber security with Tata Consulting Services (TCS) and has written many pieces in various magazines on cyber crime.

D.R. Kaarthikeyan, who was CBI director in 1998, is a member of the Academic Council of the O.P. Jindal Global University. He was special DG of CRPF and DG of National Human Rights Commission. Kaarthikeyan also headed the Special Investigation Team which probed the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case.

Confirming these associations, Y.S.R. Murthy, registrar of the O.P. Jindal Global University, told this newspaper in an email response, “Many distinguished persons have been associated with the University…including R.K. Raghavan and D.R. Kaarthikeyan. Dr Ashwani Kumar worked as Assistant Professor for a little about two years. Upon his appointment as Governor, Nagaland, he resigned from this position. Membership of Academic Council, Board of Management and Governing Body are unpaid and purely honorary positions.”

 

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