Warning to forensics, colleges use various means to fight fraud

“A detailed mechanism is required to check the malpractice , but until then we have devised our own ways to ensure no fake admissions take place. Most of it, however, is just about closely scrutinising documents and using common sense,” Khurana said.

Listing the measures taken by the college to address fraud, he said, “When a student approaches for admission, we ask the student to come with his/her parent and, in case of students coming from outside, we ask them to bring their local guardians. We keep a photograph of the guardian, along with his ID proof for reference. For quota admissions, we ask students to provide caste certificates of one of their family members too, to check authenticity.”

Ramjas College principal Rajendra Prasad said the college staff is well-trained to identify fake documents, with the college having used the expertise of forensic experts for the last two years. In fact, the college spent nearly Rs 6.7 lakh in the last two years to hire forensic experts.

With field training at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory and multiple degrees, V C Misra has been working as a forensic document, handwriting and fingerprints expert for more than 23 years.

“A digital camera and an ultraviolet lamp are two tools that are of immense importance. Most documents — including Class XII marksheets — have some security features. For instance, a particular kind of ink is used, which is not visible to the naked eye but glows red when the paper is put under ultraviolet rays,” Misra said.

Colleges also depend on information provided by the university in CDs, which contain Class XII results of various state and central boards. When in doubt, the colleges verify the documents with the issuing authority only. “Most of the boards’ results are not there in the CD provided by the university. In that case, we ask the students to get their documents verified by the issuing authority,” Jaswinder Singh, principal of SGTB Khalsa College, said.

But, according to many principals, a policy of complete intolerance towards the practice acts as the biggest deterrent. “Every institution should have complete intolerance towards the practice. The college has always taken strict action against any suspected fraudulent activity, so students know the college has a zero-tolerance policy towards such things,” Valson Thampu, principal, St Stephen’s College, said.

St Stephen’s, in every communication it issues, warns applicants not to trust ‘agents’ claiming they can secure them seats for money.