Chendhuran College of Engineering and Technology in Pudukkottai are likely to have their affiliation cancelled because the owner's son used a proxy candidate to write his papers. Anna University is set to cancel the affiliation of the engineering college due to exam fraud including mass impersonation during semester exams. The step came as part of a major crackdown by the University.
"The college owner's son used a proxy candidate to write his semester exams. The university syndicate (topmost decision-making body) withdrew affiliation in its previous meeting," a senior official from the university said.
The recommendation to cancel the affiliation comes from the office of the Controller of Examinations, who found that the college in question has been involved in mass impersonation during semester examinations, news reports said. While the semester examination for engineering colleges began on November 1, varsity officials said they found that the college at Pudukkottai, had allowed impersonators to write exams on behalf of students.
“The college is likely to lose affiliation next academic year. In addition to this, we have deputed 100 per cent external faculty in three other colleges. Last year, these three centres were involved in malpractices,” said a senior official. “As soon as we heard of the malpractice, we made sure that all supervisors were changed at the centre,” the official said adding that flying squad teams have been strengthened.
This is not the first time that Anna University has found colleges involved in exam malpractices. In 2017, it had found three colleges being involved in fraudulent examination practices. After that, the university had made it mandatory for colleges to have at least 50 per cent of invigilators from other colleges. In an affidavit, the university had told the Madras High Court that around 1,400 students have been caught for malpractice during examinations in the last year alone.
Anna University was in the middle of a huge controversy a few months ago after the Tamil Nadu Police unearthed a 'cash-for-marks' racket. The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti Corruption (DVAC), the anti-corruption wing of Tamil Nadu police, had on August 2 booked 10 professors, including former controller of examinations GV Uma. They have been accused of "receiving money" from some engineering students and giving them extra marks during re-evaluation.
The university had said in its affidavit in the High Court that after the re-evaluation scam, the students have been instructed to strike out blank pages in the answer sheets before submitting it for evaluation.