Chennai: A day after a ‘cash-for-marks’ racket was unearthed at the Anna University, the varsity authorities suspended former controller of examinations and professor G V Uma, and constituted a committee to look into the issue.
The Tamilnadu Police had booked 10 professors, including Uma, for allegedly receiving money from some engineering students and giving them extra marks during re-evaluation.
Vice-Chancellor M K Surappa told reporters, “Former Controller of Examinations G V Uma has been suspended and a committee constituted to look into the issue.” He said a large network was involved in the practice of “paying money for marks”.
“I do not have evidence of involvement of professors. But I can say that the practice has been going on unchecked and uninvestigated for some time,” he said.
Surappa said students appearing for exams after 7 to 10 years devise “such kind of methods to pass the test”.
“Unfortunately, some faculty members collaborate and middlemen join in,” the VC, who took charge in April, said.
The anti-corruption wing of the State police had earlier conducted searches at the premises related to the 10 professors and seized some documents.
The action was taken based on information received from “reliable sources” that the accused had received money from engineering students, who had appeared for exams in 2017, and had granted them “excess marks” during re-evaluation.
The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) had filed a case against Uma, Tindivanam zonal officers and assistant professors P Vijayakumar and Sivakumar, and seven others on charges of “conspiracy, cheating and forgery.”
Subsequently, DVAC carried out searches at the Chennai residence of Uma, those of Vijayakumar and Sivakumar at Tindivanam and the office of Controller of Examinations at Anna University yesterday, officials had said.
During the searches, documents relating to alleged irregularities in re-evaluation and those pertaining to properties of the accused were seized.