Education News

Twin leakage scam Once considered among the most prestigious universities in India, boasting illustrious alumni like B.R. Ambedkar and Nani Palkhivala, Bombay University, aka University of Mumbai (est.1857), has witnessed its reputation taking a serious hammering of late. While the past decade has witnessed scandals aplenty reeking of malpractice and financial shenanigans, the university experienced possibly its bleakest moments this year on March 31, when a final year B.Com paper was leaked for the second time in two weeks, outraging 64,000 long suffering commerce students and the entire academic community. The first leak came to light on March 17, when Dr. Madhav Welling, principal of Mumbai’s Mithibai College received a faxed copy of the financial accounting and audit paper, an hour before the exam was to begin. The faxed question paper turned out to be identical to the one lying sealed in Welling’s office. By the time Welling faxed the paper to Bombay University vice-chancellor B.L. Mungekar and a decision was taken to cancel the exam, students in most of the 157 centres in the Mumbai and Konkan divisions were already writing it. In fact some centres were only informed of the exam cancell-ation after students had completed writing the paper. Following indignant outcry, a case was registered under s. 380 of the Indian Penal Code and the exam was rescheduled for March 31. However, once again on the eve of the exam, photocopies of the new question paper were being hawked at around 11 p.m for sums ranging between Rs.4,000-7,000. Mumbai’s afternoon daily Mid Day managed to purchase a copy of the question paper at 2.00 a.m, with the result that Mungekar received yet another faxed copy of a leaked question paper, thankfully this time before students had begun to write the exam. Even as a fresh date for the exam was pending announcement, Mumbai police arrested a student, who identified Prakash Nagariya a lecturer in the city’s Nagrik Shikshan Sanstha’s College of Commerce and Economics (NSS) as the source of the paper leak. Nagariya had been appointed by the college’s principal S.B. Sutar, as chief conductor of examinations at the college. Under interrogation, Nagariya confessed that he had leaked the paper for monetary consideration. He was arrested on April 4 together with his nephew, Suraj alias Achal Pradip Gupta, a second year student of Mithibai College. Principal Sutar was also detained for questioning. “The university authorises only the principal to conduct examinations. It is surprising how the principal delegated the power to conduct examinations,” additional commissioner of police S.M. Sayyed told the press. Meanwhile, the exam was rescheduled for the third time and on April 8 question papers were sent to colleges in sealed trunks escorted by Bombay University security personnel. The trunks were opened just 20 minutes before the exam and the papers distributed amidst tight security. This time the examination was written without interruption by grateful students. However, the troubles of NSS College are far from over. Apart from the entire management having fallen under suspicion for being involved…