The Tamil Nadu BJP Spokesperson, ANS Prasad, has called for a thorough investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the alleged fake professor appointments at Anna University’s Engineering colleges.
In a statement that underscores the gravity of the situation, Tamil Nadu BJP Spokesperson A.N.S. Prasad expressed deep concerns over the fraudulent activities, stating, “The esteemed reputation of Anna University, one of India’s premier institutions, has been severely compromised by the egregious fake professor appointment scam in its engineering colleges.” He highlighted that despite the diligent efforts of Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi to address the issue, the scam has reverberated throughout the state, raising serious questions about academic integrity.
According to Prasad, the scam involves an astonishing number of 972 professors who have been implicated. Some of these individuals were found to be holding positions in multiple colleges simultaneously, reflecting a severe breach of academic ethics. Incriminating documents related to this fraud have been uncovered across 295 engineering colleges, leading Anna University to issue notices to 150 of these institutions.
Prasad criticized Anna University Vice-Chancellor R. Velraj for his perceived inadequacy in addressing the issue. He claimed that Velraj’s response, which merely included a caution that disciplinary action would be taken, fell short of the necessary measures required to tackle the scandal effectively. Prasad urged the Tamil Nadu government to launch a comprehensive investigation and recommended that a CBI inquiry be initiated to uncover the full extent of the academic fraud. He also called for the resignation of Higher Education Minister K. Ponmudi, attributing the government’s failure to prevent the scam to a lack of effective oversight and accountability.
The scale of the scam was exposed by Arappor Iyakkam, an NGO that discovered 353 individuals fraudulently employed across multiple engineering colleges for the 2023-24 academic year. These professors were found to be listed in as many as 32 colleges simultaneously. The fraudulent activities involved the use of fake Aadhar cards and PAN card details. This information was obtained through RTI queries and subsequently shared with the media, prompting further scrutiny.
Anna University conducted its internal investigation, which corroborated the findings of the NGO. The probe revealed that 184 individuals had registered their names at multiple colleges for the 2023-24 academic year, while 211 professors were discovered to have filled over 2,000 faculty positions for the 2024-25 academic year. The discovery of repeated Aadhar card numbers and photographs across various colleges played a crucial role in unearthing the fraud.
On July 27, Anna University took decisive action by issuing show-cause notices to 295 engineering colleges, including those affiliated with DMK ministers, Congress leaders, and MLAs. The university demanded explanations and original documentation for faculty members who were found to be listed in multiple colleges. Institutions were required to submit original Aadhar numbers and PAN card details, along with self-attested copies of these documents. Colleges were given a seven-day deadline to respond, with a stern warning that failure to provide satisfactory explanations could result in the withdrawal of their affiliation for the 2024-25 academic year.
Vice-Chancellor Velraj confirmed that notices had been sent to 292 colleges for the 2023-24 academic year and 295 colleges for the 2024-25 academic year. He noted that approximately 100 colleges had only one faculty member listed multiple times. Velraj assured that the university would take severe action against any colleges found to have falsified service documents.
Tamil Nadu is home to around 440 engineering colleges, including both private and state-run institutions. Anna University, one of the largest state-run universities in the country, oversees more than 571 affiliated colleges. The scandal has raised significant concerns about the quality of education provided by these institutions. Reports indicate that some private colleges have alarmingly low pass rates. For example, in 20 private engineering colleges, less than 10 per cent of students passed their exams in the November-December 2015 semester. Additionally, 319 of 516 private colleges have pass rates below 50 per cent, revealing broader issues with academic performance and integrity.
It is a million dollar question how a professor, like a god who is omnipresent, could present and teaches simultaneously in more than 20 colleges and how could they draw salary from all these colleges where he got appointments? This is one reason for poor show of students in examinations and decreasing enrolments of students. It is like name lending to earn money by professors. For the colleges to cheat the authorities by showing false or fudged faculty employment details.
