Barkatullah University in Bhopal is set to investigate how staff salaries were approved for 35 years when the institution allegedly had no official attendance records for the period, according to an RTI response reported by the Times of India. The university has reportedly paid about Rs 275 crore in salaries to teaching and non-teaching staff between 1988 and 2023, but is unable to explain what records were used to verify attendance before the bills were cleared.
The disclosure followed an RTI query filed by university alumnus Dharmendra Singh. The response reportedly found no recorded instance of staff absenteeism during the period, which Singh has described as evidence of possible systemic wrongdoing. The allegations have not been established, and the university’s proposed investigation is expected to examine the records and procedures used to approve the payments.
Registrar SB Singh said the matter was serious and that he would conduct a thorough, impartial and transparent investigation. He also said the events under scrutiny took place before he joined the university this year. The registrar is expected to examine who certified the salary bills, whether alternative records existed and what process was used to confirm staff attendance.
The RTI-related disclosure also raises questions about the difference between the salary figures cited in the report. Singh has called for reconciliation of all financial claims, including a reference to around Rs 250 crore in salary payments without an explanation for the basis of that amount. The reported figure for the broader salary bill is about Rs 275 crore over the 1988-2023 period.
The university’s staffing structure changed substantially during the period under review. In 1988, it reportedly had five teaching faculty members and as many departments. It now has 20 departments and 40 teachers, along with 21 contractual teachers and 250 guest lecturers. Its current annual expenditure on salaries is about Rs 13 crore, according to the report.
Sources cited by the Times of India said the university introduced attendance tracking last year after the RTI response triggered controversy. That change could become part of the investigation into how attendance, leave, teaching schedules, classroom engagement and departmental reporting were handled before the new system was introduced.
Barkatullah University was established in 1970 as Bhopal University and renamed in 1988 after freedom fighter Mohamed Barkatullah Bhopali. It serves eight districts of Madhya Pradesh and received an “A” grade from the National Assessment and Accreditation Council in 2025. The university is affiliated with institutions including an engineering college, two colleges of education, a technical teachers’ training institute, three medical colleges, a college of Indology and museology, and an English language teachers’ training institute.
The university’s next step is an internal investigation into the attendance records, salary certifications, financial figures and any alternative documentation available for the period under review. The registrar has said the inquiry will be transparent and impartial.
