After FIR Rs 5 crore fee fraud, GBU sacks registrar for misrepresenting qualifications, work experience

Noida: Gautam Buddha University (GBU) has terminated the services of registrar Vishwas Tripathi after an inquiry found serious irregularities in his appointment, including misrepresentation of work experience and failure to meet mandatory eligibility criteria.Last week, the university filed an FIR against Tripathi and 11 others over an alleged fraud of more than Rs 5 crore, accusing them of siphoning off student fee payments and masking the diversion through fake UPI transactions in the university’s software.Removed from active duty in January following embezzlement complaints, Tripathi has now been formally terminated from the post.The six-page termination order, issued by the university’s board of management on Monday, stated Tripathi “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”.It said his appointment was contrary to the eligibility criteria and amounted to “concealment, suppression and/or misrepresentation of material facts”. TOI has accessed a copy of the order.Documents submitted by Tripathi while applying for the post on Nov 3, 2020, listed his academic qualifications and experience, including stints as an assistant professor, junior research fellow (JRF) and senior research fellow (SRF).

However, a detailed verification by an internal inquiry committee found multiple discrepancies in his claims.“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 order stated.The inquiry also revealed that Tripathi included periods from March 2004 to Aug 2005 and March 2006 to Feb 2009 as JRF and SRF experience, respectively, but failed to submit supporting documents, such as appointment letters, pay scale details or valid experience certificates.

During document verification conducted on Feb 10, 2026, it also emerged that he registered for a PhD programme in 2006, raising questions about his claim of JRF experience prior to that.“Tripathi has sought to justify his eligibility by claiming comparable experience in a research establishment and/or other institutions of higher education, while expressly admitting that his tenure as junior research fellow (JRF) during the periods 01.03.2004 to 01.08.2005 and 11.08.2005 to 23.02.2006 was not part of his PhD programme,” the order read.It stated that despite being asked to provide documentary proof, Tripathi submitted only letters indicating his status as a ‘research scholar’ and a fellowship upgradation communication, which the committee found insufficient. No verifiable proof was provided to establish his tenure at AIIMS, New Delhi, as valid experience under the prescribed norms.The university also cited UGC Regulations, 2018, which clearly state that time spent pursuing MPhil or PhD cannot be counted as teaching or research experience.

“The inclusion of such a fellowship period as qualifying experience is contrary to the applicable regulatory framework,” the order noted.The probe panel noted Tripathi’s failure to meet the minimum requirement of 15 years of teaching experience as an assistant professor at Class 11 or above. In his written reply to a show-cause notice issued on March 10, 2026, Tripathi admitted to having “nine years plus” experience in the role.“He never served as an associate professor or deputy registrar in any institution of higher education. Consequently, he did not possess the requisite eligibility,” the order said. The probe committee noted that Tripathi’s conduct during the inquiry was “non-cooperative”.Tripathi, meanwhile, told TOI that the decision was “taken by the university with a vindictive motive. I have already challenged it in the High Court.

These are, to be precise, arm-twisting tactics”.He was referring to an FIR lodged at Ecotech-1 police station against him and accounts section employees for allegedly colluding with outsourced data-entry staff to embezzle over Rs 5 crore in student fees for 2024-25. The fraud surfaced when a review found fees recorded in the university’s software were absent from GBU’s bank accounts.Tripathi, who served as chief administrative officer since 2020, held custody of public funds as registrar and DDO and had direct oversight of the accounts and finance departments. The FIR accused him of failing to reconcile bank records against software entries, enabling the alleged misappropriation.