Indian-American lawyer urges PM Modi to fight corruption at Rajasthan's Apollo College of Veterinary Medicine

New York/Jaipur During his recent visit to the United States, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Indian diaspora in New York, urging them to consider investing in the future of Bharat. With a focus on empowering India's youth, Prime Minister Modi sought to attract non-resident Indian (NRI) investments, ensuring that their funds would be used effectively. However, a corruption scandal involving Jaipur's Apollo College of Veterinary Medicine, founded by Dr Raj Khare, threatens to undermine these efforts.

Roli Khare, Dr Khare's daughter and a US-based immigration lawyer, has sent a public letter to Prime Minister Modi. In the letter, she details the rampant mismanagement and corruption plaguing the public charity that oversees the university, founded by her 90-year-old father. Khare's letter highlights the misappropriation of Rs. 35 crore by Dulhe Ram Meena, a self-styled trustee with no veterinary training, who fraudulently removed Dr Khare from the trust documents.

Dr. Raj Khare, a 90-year-old veterinarian from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, was invited in 1996 by then Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhairon Singh Shekhawat to invest in the state's education sector. With Shekhawat's support, Dr. Khare founded Apollo College of Veterinary Medicine in 2003, the first private veterinary college in Bharat, designed to provide world-class education comparable to that in the West.

Today, the public charitable foundation that oversees the college is valued at over Rs 2,000 Crores, but it has been rocked by allegations of massive corruption. Mr. Dulhe Ram Meena, a self-styled administrator with no veterinary training, is alleged to have embezzled over Rs 35 Crores from the college's funds. Dr. Khare was fraudulently removed from the trust documents, a clear violation of the Rajasthan Public Trust Act.

An FIR was raised by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) regarding a Rs. 1,000,000.35 Crore misappropriation of funds, but despite the seriousness of the allegations, no progress has been made. The ACB, allegedly under undue political influence, is yet to present its findings to the Rajasthan High Court. The investigators have been transferred, which further blocks the case.

Dr. Khare has made it his mission to reclaim the college and put an end to the misappropriation of funds. His daughter, a US-based immigration lawyer, is now calling on Prime Minister Modi to intervene. She asked Modi to ask Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to ensure that the Anti-Corruption Bureau promptly presents its findings to the High Court, arrests the accused and freezes the trust's accounts to prevent further misappropriation of funds.

In her letter, Roli Khare requested Prime Minister Modi to intervene and direct the Rajasthan Chief Minister to ensure speedy justice. She calls for the arrest of Dulhe Ram Meena and the appointment of an independent management committee to oversee the trust's funds while the legal battle continues in the Rajasthan High Court. Despite an FIR filed by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and several investigations, the case has stalled due to political interference and frequent transfers of investigators.

Khare's letter further highlights the broader implications of this scandal, emphasizing that such corruption risks deterring future investments by NRIs in India's education sector, particularly those from second-generation NRIs. She urged the Prime Minister to act quickly, saying only strong government intervention can restore confidence in NRI-funded projects.

The letter, which includes supporting documents regarding checks and title deeds, draws attention to the misuse of Rs. 35 crore, which was directly transferred from the trust account to Meena's personal accounts. It also details ongoing struggles with the ACB, which has yet to submit its final report despite clear evidence of financial irregularities.

Additionally, the Khare family is calling for the creation of an independent management committee to oversee the trust's funds, ensuring that the NRI's investments are used for the educational empowerment of India's youth, as originally intended.

The alleged accused, Dulhe Ram Meena, has been linked to political parties in India and, according to local reports, is said to have operated charitable trusts in the past. In 1996, Meena allegedly embezzled funds from the Gramin Mahila Avam Bal Vikas Samiti in Sawai Madhopur, leading to its closure. He now controls the Astha Angels Academy in Jaipur, a theater school allegedly funded through “donations” from Apollo College.

The fate of Apollo College hangs in the balance as the legal battle unfolds, but for Dr Khare the dream remains clear: to provide India's youth with the education they need to overcome adversity. He fears that the rampant corruption seen in this case could deter second-generation NRIs from investing more in India's future, thereby hampering efforts to strengthen US-India relations through foreign investment.

As Prime Minister Modi continues to appeal to NRIs to contribute to the development of Bharat, Dr Khare's story is a stark reminder of the challenges that need to be addressed to ensure that foreign investments are protected and used for their intended purposes .