The Comptroller Auditor General (CAG) of India has issued a cautionary letter to Professor Jayashankar Telangana.
Agricultural University after media reports alleged that the CAG’s audit revealed the university had paid Rs 61 lakh for a vehicle used by Smita Sabharwal, a 2001-batch IAS officer of the Telangana cadre. The CAG has categorically denied conducting such an audit and raised concerns about the dissemination of this information.
According to the media reports published on March 18, 2025, the payments covered a vehicle used by Ms. Sabharwal for seven years, from October 2016 to March 2024, amounting to Rs 61 lakh with a monthly bill of Rs 63,000. These reports claimed the vehicle was utilized during her tenure as additional secretary in the Chief Minister’s office under K. Chandrashekar Rao and cited alleged violations of norms.
In its response, the CAG office refuted the claim, asserting that no audit of the vehicle had been conducted. The cautionary letter questioned the validity of the audit mentioned in the reports and expressed concern over the premature leak of sensitive information, as audit findings are typically disclosed only after being presented in Parliament. The CAG demanded clarification from the university regarding the use of its name and requested a copy of the audit report if one existed.
University sources indicated that an internal audit on vehicles used by private individuals had been conducted previously, but the vehicle in question was not part of this review. While the CAG did audit aspects of the university’s performance, including its declining rank, it emphasized that the audit did not involve this vehicle. The office labeled the leak of local-level audit information as inappropriate and warned against such disclosures.
Ms. Sabharwal’s office dismissed the allegations, stating the vehicle was used strictly for official duties and was returned upon completion of those duties. Furthermore, no formal notice had been issued by the university regarding the matter.
This incident underscores the need for confidentiality in audit processes and highlights the potential risks associated with the premature leakage of sensitive information to the media.
