Srinagar, May 14: The Kashmir University (KU) authorities have ordered a high-level probe into alleged examination irregularities at the varsity’s School of Law.
Top sources in the School of Law said the Vice-Chancellor Prof Talat Ahmad has constituted a four-member inquiry commitee comprising senior professors after Office of Controller of Examinations detected “prima-facie serious” irregularities in the Award Sheets 2021 of BA LLB and LLB.
These alleged irregularities include submission of award sheets of various semesters having scanned signatures of concerned evaluators and HOD.
“Some awards so submitted to the Controller’s Office don’t bear original signatures at all,” the sources said, adding that it has also been detected that only four evaluators of the School of Law have evaluated all the answer scripts including those of non-law subjects.
“Why other permanent teachers, including Senior Professors, haven’t been engaged in the evaluation process is a matter of probe,” the source said.
The sources said it is also being inquired into why and how the School of Law has conducted some backlog examinations on its own without formal declaration of results by the Controller’s Office.
Sources said the Vice-Chancellor instituted a formal inquiry committee after the matter was reported to him by the Controller of Examinations “in view of the sensitivity of the matter” that would further dent the credibility of examinations in the University of Kashmir which is already battling the fallout of a botched-up PG admission process 2021 by the Directorate of Admissions and Competitive Examinations.
The Committee tasked with probing the Law School irregularities is headed by Professor Zafar A Reshi and comprises Prof Adil Amin, Prof Imtiyaz ul Haq and Prof Muhammad Sultan Bhat as its members. The panel has been asked to submit its report within 15 days.
Another committee constituted by the VC is headed by Prof Mufeed Ahmad to inquire into how and why the School of Law increased marks of few semesters on its own without any provision in the University Statute for such a step.
“All pending results of BA LLB and LLB have been put on hold till the committees submit their reports. It is also being inquired into why there has been so much delay in declaration of results of several previous semesters which has led to delay in award of degrees,” the sources in the Law Department said.
When contacted, HOD Law Prof Beauty Banday acknowledged that an inquiry was going on. However she said the department has done nothing wrong.
“We will wait for the outcome of the committee proceedings and then results will be declared,” she said.
Notably, the alleged internal wrangling in the School of Law among senior faculty has led to delay in PhD admissions of the School of Law. The University authorities are yet to intervene to resolve the issue.