At least 15 fake LLB degrees from NLIU Bhopal reportedly enabled some alumni to bag jobs in the lower judiciary, among other places, according to a probe by retired Justice Abhay Gohil, reported the Hindustan Times, adding that the findings have triggered an internal probe by NLIU of the mark sheets of all of its alumni.
Correction 19:17: The initially published story, citing the HT report, stated that 8,000 degrees of NLIU would be examined in future. However, we have spoken to some NLIU students in the know, who have let us know that the probe of 8,000 degrees has been completed by the Justice Gohil committee already and does not remain pending. The only thing that remains pending, is that the executive council will consider the guilt of the individual in the administration allegedly found to have tampered with the award list, by wrongly including 15 individuals. That award list was then allegedly passed to the high court, which created correct as well as faulty NLIU certificates on the basis of the award list. Explaining the timeline, one student said:
First, an internal committee was formed consisting of three internal professors of NLIU who probed into the degrees irregularities. They recommended a high level inquiry after which Justice Gohil committee was formed and which called all the 15 students with irregular degrees. The Gohil committee found Mr. […] ([…]) as guilty of tampering with the award list which was relied on by NLIU for issuing degrees to students. […] had used the whitener to increase the marks of these 15 students. The award list was submitted to NLIU administration after which NLIU issued the degrees. Now, it has been found out that that award list was not proper and therefore, the committees found […] guiltly. The Gohil committee report has been put before the executive council of NLIU, which has issued notice to […] for future action.
After students complained to NLIU’s chancellor in 2016 that degrees were being sold for lakhs of rupees to students who had actually failed their exams, a committee comprising additional chief secretary, higher education and principal secretary of law and legislative affairs probed the matter and based on an initial finding recommended to suspend then registrar Ranjit Singh, who was also examination in charge.
Former NLIU director SS Singh had retired in November 2017, after a week of student protests against administrative apathy.
We have reached out to the NLIU students and administration, but have not been able to confirm further details at the time of publication (if you have any information that would be useful, please share this in the comments or contact us directly).
Meanwhile, the committee also recommended a judicial enquiry to investigate the complaints further and the probe was handed over to Justice Gohil who eventually found out that degrees were sold to not only failing students but also to students who had remained absent.
15 students were sold the fake degrees, according to the judicial probe.
Following these revelations and concerned for the law school’s credibility, the administration has decided to scrutinise the mark sheets of every student to have ever passed out of NLIU Bhopal, according to recently appointed registrar Girijabala Singh’s statement to HT.
An RTI activist also told HT that unfairness extended not only to degrees having been allegedly sold at the law school but also to the entrance exams it conducted in the pre-CLAT era, when certain candidates were allegedly helped in passing the exam.
Photo by Yashsvijay
Comments
1. Those guilty must be named in public and arrested.
2. Their degrees must be revoked.
3. Their present employers must terminate their jobs.
4. Foreign universities where they received LLM admissions must cancel their LLM degrees.
5. The news report says that the notorious Vyapam agency conducted pre-CLAT exams. The CBI is already probing Vyapam in connection with the medical college and civil services scam. NLIU must now be included in the CBI probe.
6. The opposition Congress party must take up the issue with as much seriousness as they took up the medical college scam. This is possibly Vyapam scam #2.
7. NLIU must be blacklisted from CLAT for the next 3 years.
8. NLIU must be demoted from its top 5 NLU status.
– The University, Registrar Ms. Giribala Singh, faculty members, Admin staff, including the newly appointed VC, has breached the Hon’ble High Court Order, by giving, information, particulars, with a high degree of specificity and details to a Third Party. Even Mr. Gohil couldn’t keep himself away, or refrain from Media. Ms. Giribala Singh, never hesitate in sharing details of students, with a high degree of specificity with the Media and Third Party.
All the more reason for all the NLUs to be brought under Central Government and declared as Institutions of National Importance (INI). Any idea what's the status of the nlu bill drafted by that dsnlu chap?
@Kian please do some basic due diligence before simply republishing whatever MSM reports. We expect better of you
You can cover on this as well.
Foreign firms: As expected, SC gives inch to foreign lawyers: Allows arbitration, fly-in-fly-out • Affirms LPOs are legal • Now, over to NaMo [UPDATE: Read 52-page judgment]
Thanks.