Members of various students unions protested at SPPU ( Savitribai Phule Pune University) demanding fair policies, transparency, and accountability etc when Senate meeting was in progress amid a large number of security deployment on Friday. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)After aggressive demands by Senate members, professor Aditya Abhyankar, head of the Technology Department at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) was sent on compulsory leave by Vice Chancellor Suresh Gosavi on Friday.Senate members raised allegations of corruption in a project carried out by the SPPU Technology department for the state’s Tribal Development Ministry in 2017-2018.A five-member committee will be formed to investigate the corruption allegations. Senate member Vinayak Ambekar, presenting a bunch of papers to the Vice Chancellor, said, “I have smoking gun evidence that the purchases made by the Technology department were corrupt transactions. There was overpaying.” Around 50 protesters from organisations gathered outside the SPPU Main building to protest. (Express Photo by Arul Horizon)The same allegations regarding corruption in the Technology Department were raised by Ambekar in the previous Senate meet as well. RTI activist Vivek Velankir has also alleged that these transactions involved corruption.Proceedings delayedMembers also stalled proceedings and did not let the Senate meet commence with the Vice Chancellor’s address over the issue of a forensic audit promised in the previous meet. In the October meet, the Vice Chancellor had assured the house that a forensic audit of financial transactions of the university would be carried out and presented before the next meet. However, no such audit has been carried out yet.Vice Chancellor Gosavi said that a committee to probe the need for the audit had been formed in February 2026, leading to strong reactions by Senate members. Senate member Prasenjit Fadnavis said, “We had been assured that the audit would be conducted but it has not been. Who is responsible for this?” Finally, the Vice Chancellor assured that the forensic audit tender process would be completed in one month.Also Read | Duo took Rs 30 lakh as advance: Liquidator, administrator held in Pune for demanding Rs 8 crore bribePost lunch, when Gosavi tried to continue with proceedings to present the university budget for the year, Senate members demanded that adjournment motions, over 15 in number, be taken up. While these motions were being discussed, barbs were exchanged between the Gosavi and Management Council members Bageshree Manthalkar and Sagar Vaidya.Story continues below this adManthalkar and Vaidya raised disputes in functioning between them and Gosavi, while the Vice Chancellor replied that he was being targeted by the specific group of members. The budget will now be presented on the second day of the Senate on March 28.Protests by various organisationsAround 50 protesters from organisations like the National Student’s Union of India, Shiv Sena UBT’s Yuva Sena, Azad Samaj Party (Youth Wing), Republican Bahujan Student Union (Athawale), Chatra Bharati, University Student Struggle Action Committee, and Student Helping Hands, gathered outside the SPPU Main building to protest for various reasons like stopping “financial extraction” under the name of extra credit courses, raising the demand for an investigation into corruption in the university, and completion of the Marathi Language Centre at the University.Soham Shah is a Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Pune. A journalism graduate with a background in fact-checking, he brings a meticulous and research-oriented approach to his current reporting. Professional Background Role: Correspondent coverig education and city affairs in Pune. Specialization: His primary beat is education, but he also maintains a strong focus on civic issues, public health, human rights, and state politics. Key Strength: Soham focuses on data-driven reporting on school and college education, government reports, and public infrastructure. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) His late 2025 work highlights a transition from education-centric reporting to hard-hitting investigative and human-rights stories: 1. Investigations & Governance "Express Impact: Mother's name now a must to download birth certificate from PMC site" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on a significant policy change by the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) following his earlier reports on gender inclusivity in administrative documents. "44-Acre Mahar Land Controversy: In June, Pune official sought land eviction at Pawar son firm behest" (Nov 9, 2025): An investigative piece on real estate irregularities involving high-profile political families. 2. Education & Campus Life Faculty crisis at SPPU hits research, admin work: 62% of govt-sanctioned posts vacant, over 75% in many depts (Sept 12, 2025): An investigative piece on professor vacancies at Savitribai Phule Pune University. "Maharashtra’s controversial third language policy: Why National Curriculum Framework recommends a third language from Class 6" (July 2): This detailed piece unpacks reasons behind why the state's move to introduce a third language from class 1 was controversial. "Decline in number of schools, teachers in Maharashtra but student enrolment up: Report" (Jan 2025): Analyzing discrepancies in the state's education data despite rising student numbers. 3. Human Rights & Social Issues "Aanchal Mamidawar was brave after her family killed her boyfriend" (Dec 17, 2025): A deeply personal and hard-hitting opinion piece/column on the "crime of love" and honor killings in modern India. "'People disrespect the disabled': Meet the man who has become face of racist attacks on Indians" (Nov 29, 2025): A profile of a Pune resident with severe physical deformities who became the target of global online harassment, highlighting issues of disability and cyber-bullying. Signature Style Soham is known for his civil-liberties lens. His reporting frequently champions the rights of the marginalized—whether it's students fighting for campus democracy, victims of regressive social practices, or residents struggling with crumbling urban infrastructure (as seen in his "Breathless Pune" contributions). He is adept at linking hyper-local Pune issues to larger national conversations about law and liberty. X (Twitter): @SohamShah07 ... Read MoreClick here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd