Published Apr 20, 2025 | 7:25 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 20, 2025 | 8:23 PM
Kannur University is set to hold a crucial meeting on Monday, April 21, to decide on strengthening its examination monitoring system following a recent question paper leak.
Synopsis: Greenwoods College, Kasaragod, has suspended Principal-in-charge Ajeesh P after a police case over a leaked BCA question paper. Bekal police booked him for breach of trust and cheating. As per Kannur University norms, principals receive question papers securely. Ajeesh, a computer science lecturer, claims he shared past questions. The college faces possible one-year de-affiliation as investigations continue
Greenwoods College in Palakkunnu, Kasaragod has suspended Principal-in-charge Ajeesh P following a police case over a leaked BCA question paper.
The Bekal police booked him for criminal breach of trust and cheating after a preliminary probe found prima facie evidence.
As per Kannur University norms, principals receive password-protected question papers and a PIN shortly before the exam. Ajeesh, who also teaches computer science, claimed he only shared likely questions from past years.
Bekal Police have booked Ajeesh P for allegedly leaking question paper content to sixth semester BCA students ahead of their final exam early this morning.
When South First contacted Bekal Police, they said that at 9.04 a.m., he posted four to five questions, which were part of the actual paper, in the WhatsApp group of his BCA students.
This self-financing college is affiliated with Kannur University.
According to sources Ajeesh shared four to five questions from the actual Data mining and Data warehousing paper in a student WhatsApp group just minutes after receiving the access PIN at 9 am on 2 April. The exam was scheduled for 10 am.
Ajeesh claimed the questions were based on previous papers and shared before he received the PIN, but preliminary evidence suggests otherwise.
The issue surfaced after a student was caught cheating and revealed the source. Kannur University, which emails encrypted papers to principals, is also probing a second alleged leak and is considering a one-year de-affiliation of the college.
As the Crime Branch investigates exam paper leaks in Kerala, Kannur University is the first university caught up with new controversy over the BCA 6th semester question paper, allegedly leaked from Greenwoods College and shared via WhatsApp.
The leak, confirmed by a university squad on 2 April, has led to a police complaint and an internal inquiry, though the source remains unclear.
Meanwhile, KSU district president MC Athul demanded an end to the practice of emailing question papers for campus printing, introduced under former VC Gopinath ravindran, citing early objections and poor infrastructure in colleges.
He linked the university’s decision to shift Greenwoods students to a different exam centre to their suspected role in the leak, a connection the university has reportedly admitted.
Athul criticised the flawed implementation of the system and accused some campuses, including those with SFI ties, of manipulating results.
He warned of strong protests if exam security isn’t improved.
Kannur University is set to hold a crucial meeting on Monday, 21 April, to decide on strengthening its examination monitoring system following a recent question paper leak.
According to Acting Vice-Chancellor Prof KK Saju, the university is considering deploying observers across all 120 affiliated colleges to ensure transparency during the printing of password-protected question papers. These observers would supervise principals while they print the question papers, aiming to prevent any malpractice.
To maintain impartiality, the university intends to appoint teachers from other institutions as observers, covering government, government-aided, and unaided colleges alike. This uniform approach follows concerns raised after the breach was detected in an unaided college, indicating that exam protocols need to be uniformly applied.
The next examination is scheduled for Tuesday, 22 April, making Monday’s meeting significant in finalising these measures. The issue came to light after the exam squad reported irregularities, prompting Registrar Prof Joby K Jose, who is also acting as Controller of Examinations, to file a formal complaint with Bekal Police.
The university syndicate had formed a sub-committee to investigate the incident and suggest remedial measures. The committee submitted its report on Saturday, and its findings will also be taken up during the 21 April meeting.
Interestingly, the current proposal mirrors a resolution moved by the Kerala Private College Teachers’ Association (KPCTA) in 2023. KPCTA state secretary and senate member Shino P Jose had previously urged the university to implement observer deployment and ensure physical delivery of question papers in sealed envelopes.
However, the former Vice-Chancellor had dismissed the suggestion without discussion. Shino noted that the university is now adopting those same measures after experiencing the consequences of a system failure.
Registrar Joby K Jose explained that question papers are typically sent to principals via email, two and a half hours prior to the exam, with a secure PIN shared only with them. The responsibility of printing and distributing the papers lies solely with the principal, a process that is now under renewed scrutiny.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
