At least 15 fake LLB degrees from NLIU Bhopal reportedly enabled some alumni to bag jobs in the lower judiciary, among other places, according to a probe by retired Justice Abhay Gohil, reported the Hindustan Times, adding that the findings have triggered an internal probe by NLIU of the mark sheets of all of its alumni.

Correction 19:17: The initially published story, citing the HT report, stated that 8,000 degrees of NLIU would be examined in future. However, we have spoken to some NLIU students in the know, who have let us know that the probe of 8,000 degrees has been completed by the Justice Gohil committee already and does not remain pending. The only thing that remains pending, is that the executive council will consider the guilt of the individual in the administration allegedly found to have tampered with the award list, by wrongly including 15 individuals. That award list was then allegedly passed to the high court, which created correct as well as faulty NLIU certificates on the basis of the award list. Explaining the timeline, one student said:

First, an internal committee was formed consisting of three internal professors of NLIU who probed into the degrees irregularities. They recommended a high level inquiry after which Justice Gohil committee was formed and which called all the 15 students with irregular degrees. The Gohil committee found Mr. [...] ([...]) as guilty of tampering with the award list which was relied on by NLIU for issuing degrees to students. [...] had used the whitener to increase the marks of these 15 students. The award list was submitted to NLIU administration after which NLIU issued the degrees. Now, it has been found out that that award list was not proper and therefore, the committees found [...] guiltly. The Gohil committee report has been put before the executive council of NLIU, which has issued notice to [...] for future action.

After students complained to NLIU’s chancellor in 2016 that degrees were being sold for lakhs of rupees to students who had actually failed their exams, a committee comprising additional chief secretary, higher education and principal secretary of law and legislative affairs probed the matter and based on an initial finding recommended to suspend then registrar Ranjit Singh, who was also examination in charge.

Former NLIU director SS Singh had retired in November 2017, after a week of student protests against administrative apathy.

We have reached out to the NLIU students and administration, but have not been able to confirm further details at the time of publication (if you have any information that would be useful, please share this in the comments or contact us directly).

Meanwhile, the committee also recommended a judicial enquiry to investigate the complaints further and the probe was handed over to Justice Gohil who eventually found out that degrees were sold to not only failing students but also to students who had remained absent.

15 students were sold the fake degrees, according to the judicial probe.

Following these revelations and concerned for the law school’s credibility, the administration has decided to scrutinise the mark sheets of every student to have ever passed out of NLIU Bhopal, according to recently appointed registrar Girijabala Singh’s statement to HT.

An RTI activist also told HT that unfairness extended not only to degrees having been allegedly sold at the law school but also to the entrance exams it conducted in the pre-CLAT era, when certain candidates were allegedly helped in passing the exam.

Photo by Yashsvijay