Engineering colleges under Anna University in Tamil Nadu acquired affiliation by resorting to fraudulent means, as per the findings of Chennai-based anti-graft NGO Arappor Iyakkam. Multiple colleges presented the same persons as full-time faculty during inspections in 2023-24, allegedly with the knowledge of the University.
Right to Information (RTI) petitions and documents uploaded by Anna University on their website accessed by the NGO show that 353 teachers were presented as full-time faculty in more than one engineering college. Among the 353, two professors of Engineering were presented as full-time faculty in as many as 11 different Engineering colleges and three professors in 10 different colleges among others.
Of the 480 colleges affiliated to Anna University, 224 colleges (almost 50% of them) have committed the fraud, the NGO said.
Anna University’s alleged involvement in the fraud
The norms prescribed by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) state that an Inspection Committee constituted by the university should verify the faculty members working in each college. The Inspecting Committees visiting the colleges requesting affiliation should verify the details of all the faculty members including their PAN and Aadhaar details, their experience and PhD certificates, among others. Upon completion of inspection, a Standing Committee will scrutinise the applications. Based on their recommendations, affiliation will be considered by the vice-chancellor of the university.
However, the Inspecting Committee and the Standing Committee of Anna University seem to have colluded in commiting this alleged fraud. The inspecting officers ‘verified’ the same person twice on the same date, in two different colleges located several hundred kilometres away.
“If the inspection dates were different, one could argue that the colleges scammed Anna University’s inspecting teams. But on the same day, two different inspection teams inspecting two different colleges in different districts said that the same person was present,” Arappor Iyakkam’s Convenor Jayaram Venkatesan told the media.
TNM accessed the documents that showed that atleast 11 teachers holding positions including that of professor and assistant professor were shown as present at two different colleges on the same date as full-time professors who don’t hold any other position in any other college.
For instance, Dr R Babu, a professor, was ‘present’ at both PPG Institute of Technology in Coimbatore and Mohamed Sathak Engineering College in Ramanathapuram, on May 26, 2023. It may be noted that both institutions are located more than 300 kilometres away from each other.
Similarly, Dr J Kaliappan was ‘present’ on June 5, 2023, as a full-time faculty member in both SMK Forma Institute of Technology in Chengalpattu district and in Annai Mathammal Sheela Engineering College in Namakkal, located 300 kilometres away from each other.
Dr S Marichamy, one of the 353 professors, has appeared in 11 different colleges’ data as their full-time faculty. The 11 colleges include Meenakshi College of Engineering, Chennai; Kathir College of Engineering, Coimbatore; Angel College of Engineering and Technology, Tirupur; and others.
Radhakrishnan, the Chennai coordinator of Arappor Iyakkam said that while in some colleges, Marichamy used his old photographs, in other colleges he used recent photographs. The title of his PhD thesis was reframed to appear different in the records of different colleges.
Another teacher, R Ramkumar, used his photograph in horizontal orientation for Sree Sastha Institute of Engineering and Technology in Tiruvallur district and put the same photograph in vertical orientation for Sree Krishna College of Engineering in Vellore.
“In some cases it seems like it is straight out of a movie. The same person has used their photo with beard and without beard,” Radhakrishnan added.
‘Fraud exposes understaffed colleges’
Jayaram said that Anna University, despite having been requested to produce details of the inspecting teams, has failed to do so. “Looking at the instances of breach by 224 colleges, it raises serious questions on the role of AICTE as well. AICTE randomly visits 5% of the colleges each year for verification of faculty members and infrastructure. However, it is clear that the AICTE has not found this massive malpractice,” the NGO said.
Jayaram emphasised on the urgent need for an investigation into the matter and demanded that Minister of Higher Education K Ponmudy intervene, as the alleged fraud could mean that colleges are understaffed and the quality of education is being compromised. He demanded that the faculty members involved be debarred and the colleges have their affiliation cancelled.
“Middlemen, if any, should be identified and criminal and departmental action should be initiated against all the public servants involved in the scam,” he said.