Gautam Buddha University Terminates Registrar Over Serious Irregularities and Fraud
Noida: Gautam Buddha University (GBU) has officially terminated the services of its registrar, Vishwas Tripathi, following a comprehensive internal inquiry that uncovered severe irregularities in his appointment. The investigation revealed that Tripathi misrepresented his work experience and failed to meet mandatory eligibility criteria for the prestigious position.
Fraud Case and Termination Order Details
This decisive action comes just one week after the university filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Tripathi and eleven other individuals. They are accused of orchestrating a sophisticated fraud scheme involving more than Rs 5 crore, allegedly siphoning off student fee payments and concealing the diversion through fabricated UPI transactions within the university's software system.
The six-page termination order, issued by the university's board of management on Monday, delivers a scathing indictment of Tripathi's conduct. It explicitly states that he "did not possess the prescribed eligibility for the post of registrar at the time of filling the application form, and his claim was founded on misleading and unsubstantiated representations." The order further condemns his appointment as contrary to established criteria, amounting to "concealment, suppression and/or misrepresentation of material facts."
Investigation Uncovers Fabricated Experience Claims
A meticulous verification process by an internal inquiry committee exposed multiple discrepancies in the documents Tripathi submitted during his application on November 3, 2020. His listed academic qualifications and professional experience, which included roles as an assistant professor, junior research fellow (JRF), and senior research fellow (SRF), were found to be largely unsubstantiated.
"The claim of such experience is not substantiated in accordance with the prescribed norms and amounts to misrepresentation of material facts relating to eligibility," the termination order emphasized. Specific periods claimed as JRF and SRF experience—from March 2004 to August 2005 and March 2006 to February 2009, respectively—lacked any supporting documentation such as appointment letters, pay scale details, or valid experience certificates.
Regulatory Violations and Eligibility Shortfalls
The probe revealed even more critical violations. During document verification on February 10, 2026, it emerged that Tripathi had registered for a PhD program in 2006, casting serious doubt on his claims of JRF experience prior to that date. The university cited the University Grants Commission (UGC) Regulations of 2018, which clearly stipulate that time spent pursuing MPhil or PhD degrees cannot be counted as teaching or research experience for such appointments.
"The inclusion of such a fellowship period as qualifying experience is contrary to the applicable regulatory framework," the order noted. Furthermore, the inquiry panel determined that Tripathi failed to meet the minimum requirement of 15 years of teaching experience as an assistant professor at Class 11 or above. In his written response to a show-cause notice issued on March 10, 2026, Tripathi himself admitted to having only "nine years plus" of relevant experience.
Non-Cooperation and Legal Challenges
The termination order also criticized Tripathi's "non-cooperative" conduct throughout the inquiry process. Despite repeated requests, he failed to provide verifiable proof to establish his claimed tenure at AIIMS, New Delhi, as valid experience under the prescribed norms. He submitted only letters indicating his status as a 'research scholar' and a fellowship upgradation communication, which the committee deemed entirely insufficient.
In response to his dismissal, Tripathi told media outlets that the decision was "taken by the university with a vindictive motive." He claimed, "I have already challenged it in the High Court. These are, to be precise, arm-twisting tactics." He was referring directly to the FIR lodged at the Ecotech-1 police station, which accuses him and accounts section employees of colluding with outsourced data-entry staff to embezzle over Rs 5 crore in student fees for the 2024-25 academic year.
Oversight Failure in Multi-Crore Fraud
The massive fraud came to light during a routine financial review, which discovered that fee payments recorded in the university's software were completely absent from GBU's official bank accounts. Tripathi, who had served as the chief administrative officer since 2020, held custody of public funds in his dual roles as registrar and Drawing and Disbursing Officer (DDO). He had direct oversight of the accounts and finance departments, making the alleged misappropriation particularly egregious.
The FIR explicitly accuses him of failing to reconcile bank records against software entries, a critical lapse that enabled the alleged misappropriation to occur undetected. Tripathi had been removed from active duty back in January following initial embezzlement complaints, culminating in this formal termination based on the inquiry's damning findings.
