1,135 students got jobs in Maharashtra using fake marksheets

A total of 1,135 students have secured jobs submitting fake marksheets after passing out from various universities in Maharashtra, according to a report prepared by the CBI.

The fake marksheet scam came to fore after an investigation by the CBI on the direction of the Bombay High Court on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in 2007.

The PIL had alleged that many of the employees working in government and private sectors had got the job after submitting bogus documents, and sought a probe.

After hearing the PIL, the High Court directed the CBI to investigate the matter. The CBI, on December 26, 2009, wrote to all the Universities in Maharashtra asking for verification of the marksheets.

Verification revealed that 1,135 students from six universities had landed jobs using fake marksheets (obtained between 2001 and 2007), police sources said, quoting the CBI report.

The maximum 729 cases of fake marksheets were identified at Pune University, followed by Mumbai (237), Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj University, Nagpur (92), Shivaji University, Kolhapur (42), Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar University, Aurangabad (18) and Sant Gadgebaba University, Amravati (17).

The CBI will now be submitting the report to the High Court and may seek direction to take action against these students, the sources said.