GU ex-VC’s US travel expenses ‘paid’ by GUPIER despite govt restriction on funding

Ahmedabad: Gujarat University’s former vice-chancellor Dr Neerja Gupta allegedly charged ₹5.88 lakh to a university-linked entity for her US trip despite a written directive from the state Education Department that she should personally bear all expenses.

Gupta, who served as vice-chancellor from June 2023 to June 30, 2026, had sought permission to visit Texas from June 4 to 9, 2026. The Education Department approved the trip on April 6 but clearly stated that neither the government nor the university would bear the airfare or other expenses.

Despite this, documents show that an advance of ₹5,88,769 was transferred to a travel agency from the funds of GUPIER, a Section 8 company associated with Gujarat University.

The expenditure file reportedly carried the signatures of GUPIER Group CEO Srinivas Rao, in-charge registrar Piyush Patel, Gupta and the organisation’s senior vice-president.

The payment has raised questions over why a university-linked entity was used to cover an expense that the Education Department had specifically directed Gupta to bear herself.

Questions over approval

The Education Department’s permission letter explicitly stated that the government or Gujarat University would not bear any expenses related to Gupta’s US visit.

However, a separate file was processed to release the travel amount as an advance through GUPIER. The documents have raised questions over the role of the officials who approved the payment.

Earlier foreign trips under scrutiny

Gupta travelled abroad several times during her tenure. The latest issue has also raised questions over whether similar conditions applied to her earlier foreign trips and whether any expenses were routed through GUPIER or other university-linked entities.

Documents relating to those trips would need to be examined to establish whether a similar procedure was followed.

Rao’s role has also come under scrutiny in light of an earlier controversy over his proposed ₹5 lakh salary and subsequent suspension. Meanwhile, questions have also been raised over in-charge registrar Piyush Patel’s role in approving university expenditure. DeshGujarat