New Delhi:
Former Delhi University vice chancellor Deepal Pental was today arrested and sent to Tihar jail on a fellow professor's complaint. He will, however, be released soon as the High Court has stayed his arrest warrant.
A Delhi court ordered Professor Pental's arrest on a petition by Professor P Parthasarthy, who had accused him of plagiarising his paper on biotechnology and also illegally using cobalt, a chemical substance, from the university's science lab.
Professor Pental was arrested for the "unauthorized use of a hazardous material," which is a non-bailable offence and carries a maximum sentence of life in jail.
Mr Pental, 63, a professor of genetics and a noted researcher, was the vice chancellor of Delhi University in 2005-2010. He is described as an expert in the field of transgenics and has reportedly published more than 60 research papers. He has also received many awards, including one from France.