In the wake of the arrest of the principal of Guru Nanak Khalsa College here for allegedly accepting bribe, the Maharashtra Sikh Association today said that it had written to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal last year drawing his attention to the "malpractices" in the college.
The principal of Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Ajit Singh Amar Singh Teti and his assistant were arrested on Thursday while accepting a bribe of Rs 25,000 for admission of a student to the science stream in class XII under the management quota.
Teti, who has been serving the 77-year-old institute located in Matunga here for over 20 years, had sought Rs 30,000 for himself and not as donation to the college from the student, the Anti Corruption Bureau had said.
In the letter to Badal, sent in June last year, the Association president Daljit Singh Bal had said, "Every year, during college admissions, crores of rupees are collected as donation from prospective students by the principal and his syndicate."
"The college is managed by the SGPC and our intention in alerting the Punjab chief minister was to ensure that the good name of Sikh community is not tarnished by the actions of an individual," Bal said today.
"Had timely action been initiated by the Punjab chief minister's office, the image of the college and community could have been saved," he said.
Established in late 1930s, the government-aided Khalsa College is among the earliest institutions of higher learning that emerged on the educational landscape of Mumbai and is known for producing great personalities in various fields.
