Two years on,no one nailed in fake marksheet scam

The matter came to light when the Embassy of Iran approached UoP to cross-check the genuineness of the degree.

Following an uproar,UoP appointed a committee chaired by a retired judge and another two-member internal inquiry panel of C.M. Chitale and Sanjeev Sonawane. The inquiries revealed that the permanent registration numbers (PRN),allotted to students for the entire course,on the fabricated marksheets were different from PRNs issued to the three students.

The then officiating vice-chancellor Sanjay Chahande had pledged tough action against the guilty employees,but nothing of that sort happened. The university administration filed an FIR against the Iranian students,who had returned to Iran.

Chitale,now the head of Department of Management Sciences at the UoP,said a demand for the extradition of Iranian students was followed up with the local police but no progress had been made. “We recommended cancellation of the degrees of students,and it was done with the approval of the Management Council of the university,” he said.

Sonawane,now the head of the Department of Education and Extension at UoP,said the inquiry panel submitted its report to then vice-chancellor Chahande,mentioning the names of 22 employees in departments associated with the issue of marksheets. “The university panels merely had the power to inquire and not investigate. It was for the police to probe in depth. The police should have extradited the students,” he said.

When contacted,UoP vice-chancellor Wasudeo Gade said the probe has not been officially closed . “The basic problem is that reports submitted by the UoP-appointed inquiry panels do not fix responsibility. Therefore,we could not initiate action at our level based on these reports. We have to rely on police investigations,” Gade told Newsline.

When asked whether there could be a link between the 2011 scam and the recent ‘cash for marks’,the V-C did not rule it out.

Authorities at Chaturshringi Police Station investigating both scams could not be reached for their comment. Vice-president of the Bhartiya Eligible Students and Teachers Association and senior faculty Atul Bagul demanded a CID inquiry into both scams. “The reputation of UoP is at stake. The guilty cannot be nailed unless there is an investigation by an authority like the CID,” Bagul said.