Veer Madho Singh Bhandari Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU), Dehradun, canceled two exams of the recent semester after an investigation found that a foreign paper writer allegedly shared questions with students before one of the papers. The election affects students from 12 schools affiliated with the university.The university has also barred the faculty member from all exam-related work for seven years, while the college where he works has terminated his services.
Complaining led to inquiries
The controversy began when the university received complaints about the Machine Learning for Internet of Things exam.In the orders issued by the Controller of Examinations Dr VK Patel, the university said that several questions that the university and the organization that reported the matter found that the foreign paper setters allegedly released questions similar to those that appeared in the examination through the internal portal of the institution and WhatsApp before the examination.The investigation also found that another paper prepared by the same member, Electromagnetic Field Theory, is also believed to have been leaked.“The restricted exams for both courses will be held in the third week of August 2026. All institutions are requested to inform students who are concerned immediately about this important decision so that they can fully prepare for the exams within the time frame,” the university said.
The professor banned for seven years
The university has banned paper writers from all examination-related activities for the next seven years.“The paper maker has been banned from all work related to university examinations for the next seven years,” it said.The Controller of Examinations also warned the college for failing to maintain “institutional supervision and control”.
The college said the questions were shared on WhatsApp
According to Shivalik College of Engineering, the alleged leak happened before the examination.College principal Dr TS Sidhu told reporters that the professor allegedly shared about 50 questions with students on a WhatsApp group. Those questions later appeared in the exam paper he posted.The college also terminated an assistant professor.
The settlement followed the university’s findings
The termination letter follows a process of approximately two weeks.According to the college, it received a complaint about the alleged leak on July 8. The preliminary application committee was formed by the registrar on July 10 and submitted its report on July 13.“Based on the first findings, an investigation committee was established by the registrar on July 10. The committee submitted its report on July 13, while the board issued a penalty on July 14,” said the termination letter.Initially, the faculty member was banned from posting question papers for three years by the board.The matter was reviewed by the university, which, through a letter dated July 22, detained the author of the papers who caused the leak of the exam paper and imposed a seven-year ban on all university exams.“Based on the above findings of the University and considering the seriousness of the misconduct, your actions constitute a serious breach of faith and morals, which makes your continued service detrimental to the interests and reputation of the institution,” the termination letter said.It added that the duties of the assistant professor were terminated with immediate effect under Clause 15 of his appointment letter dated July 22, 2019.So, even after the strict rules and repeated violations, how come the exam papers are kept until the students start the exam? This is what the university’s actions, as well as any other research, must answer.