Criminal case fi led against govt lecturers who obtained jobs with fake marks cards

S Shyam Prasad | NT

Bengaluru:

Two assistant lecturers who obtained jobs in government colleges were found to have produced fake marks cards from a private university in Sikkim that d i d n o t exist. A criminal case has been filed against them, and the High Court of Karnataka has refused to grant them relief in the case. Mithun, 38, from Kalburgi and Kantharaja KH, 34, from Davangere, approached the High Court against the Department of Collegiate Education which had filed the criminal case against them.

The case is pending before a Magistrate court in Bengaluru where they are charged with cheating, fabricating documents and other allegations. They approached the HC seeking to quash the case against them. Arguing their case before Justice K Natarajan, the advocates for the accused contended that they were falsely implicated in the case.

They had studied at the ‘Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management University’ in Sikkim which was shut down by the State Government there after their studies. Their marks cards were therefore not fake. The government advocate argued that the university was notified in 2006 but never conducted classes or exams and the Sikkim government had shut it down for not being operational.

A committee of lecturers had also verified the marks cards and found them to be fake. There was also no evidence of payment of fee, attending exams or any other proof to show they had actually attended college. The HC noted that the University of Sikkim where the marks cards were sent for verification, had said that there was no existence of a university named ‘Eastern Institute for Integrated Learning in Management University.’

The certificates and marks cards were verified by a team of lecturers sent by the State Government to Sikkim which also said they were fake. The verification team headed by Dr BG Bhaskara of Vivekananda Degree College and comprising prominent other academicians “have given a report that the certificates are fake one.

”Even “as per the report of the UGC, the said University has been closed by the State Legislature,” the court noted. Dismissing their petitions, the HC said, “If at all the petitioners wants to take any defence, that can be urged in the evidence while cross-examining the prosecution witness.”