The Hapur district administration has asked the UP government to cancel the recognition of Monad University after the Special Task Force (STF) of the state police arrested the university’s chairman and pro-vice chancellor for allegedly fabricating degrees and marksheets of various university courses and extorting money from students.
Monad University, a private institution located in the Pilkhuwa area of Hapur, currently has around 4,500 students enrolled. As per the university’s website, it was established under Act No 23 of 2010 by the Government of Uttar Pradesh, which was published in the Official Gazette on October 12, 2010. The university received an authorization letter from the state government on January 11, 2011, following which it became operational. Monad University offers various courses, including pharmacy, engineering, management and law.
In a letter to the Principal Secretary, Higher Education Department, Hapur District Magistrate Abhishek Pandey gave the details of the racket and the police investigation so far, while recommending derecognition of the university.
On Sunday, the STF arrested 10 people, including the university’s chairman Vijendra Singh Hooda, pro-vice chancellor Nitin Kumar Singh, and other staff members. The team also claimed to have seized 1,372 fake marksheets and degrees, along with 262 counterfeit provisional and migration certificates.
All the 10 accused arrested in the case are in judicial custody.
According to a senior police officer, the university administration, following the STF raids, had declared the campus closed until Wednesday. It is likely to reopen Thursday.
Amid confusion among the students and the university staff, a senior district administration official clarified that the cancellation of the university’s recognition would not affect the validity of degrees and marksheets issued so far. The official also assured that currently enrolled students should not panic, as efforts will be made to transfer them to other institutions, wherever possible, if the recognition is cancelled.
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The racket was busted after police arrested Sandeep, a Haryana resident and alleged member of the racket, following a complaint that fake degrees and marksheets for various courses from Monad University in Hapur were being prepared and sold.
Police said Sandeep allegedly admitted that he printed counterfeit degrees and marksheets for several courses—such as B.Sc, BA, LLB, B.Ed, Pharmacy, and B.Tech—under the instructions of university chairman Vijendra Singh Hooda.
According to police, the accused claimed they charged students between Rs 50,000 and Rs four lakh per course, depending on the degree.
An STF official said that during the investigation, it was found that the racket had been operating for the past two to three years, with fake degrees, marksheets, and other documents being sold in exchange for money. “We are investigating the involvement of other individuals in the racket,” the official added.
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
