State Regulatory Commission to monitor universities: Rajasthan Education Minister

JAIPUR: In the wake of surfacing of a fake degree scam in a private university in Jodhpur, the state government today said a regulatory commission would be set up to monitor the academic activities of all universities mainly private ones.

While replying to a question by Congress Legislator Govind Singh Dotasar who raked up the issue of fake degree scam in Jodhpur National University, Education Minister K C Saraf said a bill on setting up a ' State Regulatory Commission' would be tabled in the ongoing session of the House as its draft was almost ready.

He also said he was not happy with the preliminary report provided in the investigation of the scam and that a high-level committee would be set up for this purpose.

Saraf said there were a numerous complaints of fake degrees from other private universities including Sunrise University in Alwar, Sridhar University and Singhania University in Jhunjhunu, and Pacific Academy of Higher Education and Research University in Udaipur.

He also informed the House that the administration of these universities have been asked to file reports. However, most of them denied of any such false degree cases, he said.

The term of Sodhani Committee, probing the Jodhpur National University's fake degree scam, has been extended by two months as the Special Operation Group of Police ( SOG-P) has not finished its investigation, Saraf said.

In January this year, the SOG had found that out of nearly 50,000 degrees issued by the university in the past six years, as many as 37,000 could be fake.

As per the SOG, these degrees were allegedly issued to students without them having to appear in any examination or attend classes, in exchange for money.

Chairman of the university, Kamal Mehta, was arrested by the SOG on January 8 from outside a hotel in Delhi, for his involvement in the scam.