Bengaluru, Oct 29 (PTI) A case has been registered against the Shivamogga Regional Director of the Karnataka State Open University (KSOU), B M Swamy, on charges of exam malpractice and copying during the examinations for undergraduate, postgraduate, diploma and certificate courses.
According to the Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddi, Swamy has been relieved of his duties and investigation against him and other officials and staff involved in it has begun.
The FIR was registered based on a complaint by KSOU Registrar Prof M P Sadashiva, Mysuru, who appeared at the police station on October 28, 2026, and submitted a complaint.
He said the university had, on September 15, announced the examination timetable for various postgraduate degree, undergraduate degree, diploma and certificate courses.
The annual and semester examinations were scheduled to be held on different dates during October and November.
Subsequently, an order dated September 22 was issued to conduct these examinations at a total of 81 examination centres.
For supervising all the aforementioned examinations at the Shivamogga examination centre, Swamy was appointed as Chief Superintendent of Examinations through an order dated October 6.
The order specified the duties and responsibilities of the Chief Superintendent. It also provided for the deployment of vigilance squad officers to monitor examinations at various centres and ensure that no malpractice or other illegal activities took place.
Swamy personally appointed the room invigilators required to conduct the examinations at the Shivamogga centre and oversaw their functioning.
"Despite these arrangements, reports of mass copying and examination malpractice at the Shivamogga Regional Centre were broadcast on October 23 by various television channels. The incident had cheated and defrauded a considerable number of students," Sadashiva stated in his complaint.
The complainant sought an investigation into the mass copying and examination malpractice.
Sadashiva called for action against Swamy and the other staff members at the examination centre.
In a statement, Rayareddi said, “Our government will not tolerate injustice being done to students under any circumstances. Those involved in examination malpractice will definitely be punished. The government is always committed to protecting the interests of students. Such people will be punished in accordance with the law".
The Minister said he has issued strict instructions to the vice-chancellors of all public universities to remain vigilant and ensure that examination malpractice is not tolerated.
He also said that several measures are already being taken to strengthen the credibility of universities.
"It is our responsibility to protect the interests of students who have studied hard. We will take stringent measures to ensure that such incidents do not recur. Students need not have any apprehensions. The guilty will receive appropriate punishment," Rayareddi said.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)