Dear Friends & Well-wishers
When we had conceptualized Aravali Institute of Management over 14 years back, we had told ourselves that education, by definition, was based on ethics. Despite all that we had heard about the all pervading corruption, we were humbly determined to make Aravali as a model of no compromise in an out of the way place like Jodhpur in Rajasthan. We wanted to demonstrate that one can still do things and have a career and life with success in India, while sticking to ethics without any compromise. Little did we realise that with the passage of time, the corruption would only increase and therefore, our hardships, risks, sacrifices and struggle would not only continue but also increase. Somehow we persistently refused to change ourselves into being what people call as "practical" and the vested interests in the government have consistently continued to undermine the national interests. We have still managed to survive and "progressed' because there are few well-meaning and good people in the government, though their number is dwindling. Without boasting about it, with all humility, we have managed to take the fights to the finish by ensuring that the truth alone triumphs.
I thought of sharing with you our recent victories :
- There was a poll a few years back at an event in Delhi - as to which was the most corrupt organisation in the government and which was the most corrupt organisation outside the government. The answer was Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was the most corrupt organisation inside the government and Media was the most corrupt organisation outside the government. Little did we realise that one day we would ourselves experience this.
After we succeeded to get the AICTE approval for Aravali four years back on merit alone, after fighting for nine long years, some local officers of CBI asked us for some favours. When we refused, one day suddenly 22 persons large CBI team including SSP, DSP and two Inspectors landed up in our Institute. They did not look at the quality of our faculty, quality of our courses, quality of our pedagogy, quality of our educational aids or the quality of our corporate networking - perhaps because they were incompetent to understand these. They came armed with measuring tapes and started measuring the sizes of various rooms, classrooms, library, computer centre, toilets, etc. Based on this, they started making out a case against us. When I enquired, I was rudely told "You are an accused and an accused cannot ask any questions. You have to just answer what we ask". It was clear that they were all out to frame us. I contacted senior IPS officers known to me. They told me that CBI officers thought they were above the law and the only person who could perhaps help us was CBI Director. I met Mr. Ashwini Kumar, the then CBI Director, four times in his office. He listened to me patiently, saw all the documents I showed him and told me that let CBI Jodhpur do whatever they wanted to do but assured me that no injustice would be done to us.
CBI Jodhpur on the one hand informed Rajasthan state government about the enquiry against us, because of which our campus land use change approval was held up. On the other hand, CBI wrote to AICTE about our not having constructed the campus and shifted there, based on which AICTE did not grant us approval renewal for the years 2011 and 2012. We approached Rajasthan High Court which restrained AICTE from proceeding against us on CBI notice. We were given to understand that ultimately when CBI Jodhpur sent the file to CBI Headquarters for approval for registering case against us, it was not given approval in view of it having no merit and thus CBI Director kept his word. Thereafter, we wrote to CBI under the RTI Act to confirm us the same in writing but CBI refused citing the exemption they have under the RTI Act. We went for first appeal to the Joint Director of CBI but he also refused citing the exemption under RTI Act. Thereafter we went for the second appeal to the Central Information Commission. Chief Information Commissioner of India himself heard the matter through video conferencing, wherein SP of CBI informed that nothing was found against us and thus the enquiry was closed. Thereby through CIC order we got the confirmation in writing about closure of CBI enquiry against us, which can be viewed at http://www.rti.india.gov.in/cic_decisions/CIC_SM_C_2012_000021_M_92546.pdf .
- Envious of our success despite limited means, some vested interests had filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Rajasthan High Court for closure of our Institute. A bench of Rajasthan High Court consisting of Chief Justice Mr. Arun Mishra and Mr. Justice Kailash Chandra Joshi has dismissed this PIL with the comments "It appears that petition has been filed by the petitioner No. 1 so as to settle the personal grudge".
- In view of our refusal to compromise, Income Tax Department cancelled our 12(A) registration (which entitled us to be characterized as a charitable organisation) on several false and fictitious grounds. They opened our income tax returns of all the previous years and issued us a large number of notices. We appealed to Income Tax Appellate Tribunal, which restored our 12(A) registration and passed strictures against Income Tax Deptt. The Income Tax Deptt. went to Rajasthan High Court against the Tribunal order, which dismissed their stay application. Despite this, Income Tax Deptt. fraudulently raised demand of Rs. 4.10 crore of income tax on us by disallowing the expenses incurred by us on visiting faculty, vehicles, campus, telephones, internet, etc. and also counting these expenses twice. We appealed to Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) who just made the expenses to be counted once and reduced the demand to Rs. 2.10 crores. Income Tax Deptt. also attached our bank accounts, despite our informing it in writing that we were totally drained off financially in view of our not having the admissions for the last two years (with AICTE refusing us the approval renewal in view of CBI enquiry and not having started operating from the campus). We then went to the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) who set aside the entire demand and with this, Income Tax Deptt. was forced to remove the attachment of our bank accounts. The ITAT order can be viewed at http://www.itatonline.in:8080/itat/upload/-43031964471943304213$5^1REFNOITA104-JODH-2013_MARWAR_EDUCATION_FOUNDATION.pdf .
With no admissions for the last two years in view of AICTE refusal to grant us approval renewal, we have been severally constrained financially. Fortunately our friends and well-wishers like you came forward and provided us donations of around Rs. 1.8 crores and interest free loans of around Rs. 1 crore, with which we have completed the construction of around 28,000 sq. feet of built up space and also managed our marginal operating expenses. Our operational campus can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlYoRfWWWZM. But for the help of these friends, supporters and well-wishers, we would have been forced to close down Aravali or be literally on the streets
Kindly wait for the announcement for restart of courses and programmes of Aravali Institute of Management soon, with much better and bigger facilities and infrastructure.
Thanks and best regards
Varun Arya
Founder & Director
Aravali Institute of Management
Aravali Nagar
National Highway - 112
Village Kaparda, Tehsil Bilara
Distt. Jodhpur 342 605
Rajasthan, India
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Member, IIM Ahmedabad Governing Society &
Formerly President, IIT Delhi Alumni Association
[MTC Global] Truth alone triumphs - the saga continues!
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