For 29-year-old Ankita Kilsan, landing a job as an Assistant Professor at Delhi University’s (DU) Bharati College in November 2023 felt like the ultimate validation of her hard work. A Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni, she believed her academic career was finally taking off. But just months later that dream disintegrated.
Kilsan, a resident of Shalimar Bagh, was allegedly the victim of a scam run by people she considered peers. She allegedly paid Rs 1 lakh to get three of her articles published in journals, which later turned out to be fake, leading to the termination of her service.
On Wednesday, a Delhi court directed the registration of an FIR against two DU assistant professors for allegedly duping Kilsan. The court was hearing an application seeking the registration of an FIR moved by Kilsan – formerly employed in Bharati College’s Political Science department.
The court directed the Station Head Officer (SHO) of Shalimar Bagh police station to register an FIR based on a complaint filed on November 5, 2024, and submit a compliance report within 30 days.
“I trusted them fully. Thought they were a fraternity. I found out in July 2024 that my articles are fake. I kept questioning them and they kept fooling me,” Kilsan told The Indian Express.
“For people who know me well, it was absolutely unbelievable. We all thought how could this happen to someone like me. My mental health deteriorated so much,” she added.
“Since 2024 I have been suffering. I completed my PhD in such a stressful situation. The work I could have done in six months took over one year. I am not an isolated example. Lots of people face such a situation,” Kilsen said.
The accused against whom the FIR is to be registered are Sanjeev Kumar, who allegedly misrepresented himself as a senior medical officer at AIIMS, Delhi, Pramod Kumar and Luke Khanna, assistant professors at Dayal Singh and Bharati College, respectively.
According to Kilsan, she was introduced to Kumar in May 2021. In December 2021, Sanjeev introduced her to the two DU professors to help guide her career.
In her complaint, Kilsan has alleged that in May 2022, Pramod and Luke convinced her that she desperately needed research publications in reputed journals to land a teaching job. They took her original research work for publication along with Rs 1 lakh in cash as publication fees and travel expenses.
By late 2022, they allegedly handed her copies of three of her “published” articles and certificates from “recognised” journals Shodhprabha, Shodhasamhita and Madhya Bharati. Relying on these documents, Kilsan secured an assistant professor’s job at Bharati College. However, in August 2024, the college Principal informed her that an RTI inquiry has revealed that the publications were fake.
When confronted by Kilsan, the accused brushed them off as “cloned copies” printed. After this, Kilsan and her family allegedly personally traveled to Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra to verify the authenticity of these alleged publications and found that the publications were “fake”.
On October 3, 2024, Khanna allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from Kilsen to “settle” the matter and preserve her job.
“This deceit ultimately resulted in her securing an appointment as an assistant professor at Bharti College and later losing it causing her significant professional damage. The dishonest intention on the part of the accused persons appear to be evident from the outset, prima facie satisfying the essential ingredients of cheating,” Judicial Magistrate First Class Gaurav Katariya of Rohini court noted in an order.
“…the purportedly forged Certificates of Publication and journals require forensic/ scientific examination by the FSL to ascertain their origin, genuineness, and whether they are alleged to be fabricated/cloned documents…,” it added.
“…this Court is of the considered opinion that the present case discloses prima facie cognizable offences warranting police investigation…,” it further said, adding that misrepresentation appears to have been deliberate, designed to gain Kilsan’s trust.
“What makes an act criminally liable is the presence of a fraudulent intention behind it. In this case, such an intention appears evident from the very outset. The alleged making of a false document, combined with the deliberate supply of fake certificates to the complainant, collectively points to a dishonest and fraudulent state of mind on the part of all three accused,” JMFC Katariya said.
Kilsan was represented by advocates Pardeep Khatri and Pranjal Bhaskar.
On October 3, 2024, Khanna allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 25 lakh from Kilsen to "settle" the matter and preserve her job.
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