How Delhi University uncovered large-scale cheating scandal in medical entrance examination

Investigations revealed that most of the students who were getting admission through unfair means were children of existing doctors and medical professionals

In 2011-12, the University of Delhi changed the way students were admitted into its three medical colleges – UCMS, MAMC and Lady Hardinge. Till 2010, the University conducted its own entrance examination for admission.

Why was this done? The decision to admit students based on AIPMT (All India Pre Medical Test) conducted by AIIMs was largely due to the discovery of a large-scale cheating scandal uncovered by the university after the president of the Delhi Medical Association brought it to their attention. He informed the university that the 2010 examination was rigged.

The initial response of the university’s examination centre was to brush aside the matter – it argued that this was not correct and the examination was fair. They were conducting it the same way as it had been for years and things were going on as usual.

However, the president went on to make another public statement where he alleged that the examination was rigged and unfair, adding that this rigging has been going on for many years. He said that many of the students who had done well on the Delhi University’s 2010 entrance examination were students who had failed all – or most – other entrances and had performed poorly (most had third divisions) in their Grade 12 examinations. But surprisingly they had all cleared the DU medical entrance. He handed a short list of names to the authorities.

At this point, the then authorities decided to investigate the matter deeper. Very early in the morning of August 15, 2011 the authorities visited the Examination Branch of the University and seized the answer sheets of all students who had appeared in the MBBS entrance examination of the university. After looking at the answer sheets closely and for hours, and web-based research in the context of the names of candidates handed over to the university by the president of the medical association, it became apparent that the matter was indeed fishy. It turned out that the candidates in question had scored almost identical marks even though they were seated at different centres.

The team decided to do some reverse investigation. It picked up all students who had marks of a similar nature (centering around the same mark as the identified suspects) and went through their answer papers in detail. They found roughly 100-120 students with a similar score. Almost all of these students had failed all the other medical entrances they had sat and had done poorly on their Class 12 board examinations. 

Then they looked at the pattern of answering for the objective style question paper of these 100-120 students. And they found the students had ticked answer choices for each question in the same pattern – be it correct answers or mistakes made. If the first student had circled option one as the answer, so had all the others. Similarly if anyone had ticked the wrong choice then it was discovered that all of these 100 odd candidates had ticked the same wrong choice. It became apparent that either they knew the question paper in advance or someone was dictating and telling them what answer to tick. Since the students were spread across various centers, it would be virtually impossible for someone to dictate to all – even with advances in technology and devices that may help you do so. The authorities concluded that in all likelihood they knew the question paper.  It had leaked and was probably being leaked for at least a decade.

The matter was handed over by the authorities to the Central Bureau of Investigation (the students admitted prior to the finding had been there for a year already and cancelling the whole admission without more conclusive proof at that stage would cause chaos).  The investigative authorities seemed to suspect that this was a very organized operation. Students were most likely taken – for a fee – at night after the question paper had been obtained and made to memorise answers. Then the students would take the examination the next morning. Beyond this there was not much more in evidence.

Many members of the medical faculty revealed a lot of students who were getting admission through unfair means were children of existing doctors and medical professionals who have their own hospitals and nursing homes and they want the family to keep control of the organisations they run so they require a stamp for their children – regardless of whether the child is interested or capable.

The university at that stage examined its options and approached the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) asking them if they could conduct the examination for them in a fair and square manner. The CBSE threw up their hands arguing that they were worried about the sanctity of their own entrance examination (a problem that seems to have persisted since even two days ago the CBSE was facing allegations of a leak in the 12th board examination paper).

It was at that stage that the AIIMs was approached (it seems that they had faced similar leaks once or twice in the past although not as a set yearly pattern) and it was decided that these DU medical colleges would be tagged onto the AIIMs entrance examination merit list. The students – clearly at someone’s behest and led by various vested interests – took the Delhi University to court over the matter but the court ruled in the university’s favour.

The old system of examinations was dispensed with. The investigative agencies - by all accounts - could not come to a clear conclusion. And the authorities had one more tale to add to their repertoire. A tale that repeats itself with examinations in India.

Source | Business Standard | 18 March 2016

Pralhad Jadhav

Senior Librarian

Khaitan & Co

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