UP: University's VC, Registrar among 3 held for issuing fake degrees

Rajasthan’s Special Operations Group (SOG) on Saturday arrested JS University Chancellor Sukesh Kumar, Registrar Nandan Mishra, and Jaipur-based middleman Ajay Bharadwaj for allegedly issuing fake Bachelor of Physical Education (BPEd) degrees to candidates appearing for Rajasthan’s Physical Training Instructor (PTI) recruitment exam in 2022. The arrests come after an investigation into fraudulent degrees used in government job applications.

According to SOG officials, JS University in Shikohabad, Uttar Pradesh, issued at least 254 fake BPEd degrees in 2022 despite having an approved intake of only 100 students. “All these candidates claimed they obtained their degrees in 2022, while the university was authorized to enroll only 100 students that year,” said ADG SOG VK Singh. The investigation also found that 2,067 candidates listed JS University in their PTI exam applications, a number significantly higher than the university’s capacity.

Sukesh Kumar was arrested at Delhi Airport while allegedly attempting to flee abroad. Officials stated that Bharadwaj had links to Rajasthan’s paper leak mafia and was previously implicated in the OPJS University fake degree case, where over 43,000 fraudulent degrees were issued across India. “Another accused, Bharadwaj, was also found to be in contact with one of Rajasthan’s infamous paper leak masterminds, Bhupendra Saran,” Singh said. The SOG has arrested 16 individuals so far in connection with the fake degree racket.

Authorities discovered that many candidates who used JS University degrees for verification had originally listed different universities in their application forms. Officials are now verifying all degrees issued by the institution. The SOG had previously conducted a decoy operation in April, leading to the arrest of a middleman in Churu, Rajasthan, who was involved in distributing fraudulent degrees from multiple private universities.

Investigations also revealed that Bharadwaj and his associates were planning to establish two new private universities—Eklavya Tribal University in Dungarpur, Rajasthan, and Anant International University in Meghalaya—to expand their operations. The arrested individuals were produced in court and sent to judicial custody until March 12.