Fake degrees: Principal denied pre-arrest bail

Mumbai: Observing that the fraud “damaged” students’ education and caused them to suffer, a sessions court on Friday rejected the anticipatory bail plea of the principal of a Bandra architecture college accused of cheating students by offering unapproved vocational degrees through unrecognised universities.

The court rejected the plea filed by Sunil Magdum, principal of Dr Baliram Hiray College of Architecture. “The accused’s prima facie conduct shows that he was aware that students were cheated. Prima facie, there may definitely be other people involved in this fraud,” said additional sessions judge M B Oza, while noting that custodial interrogation was necessary.

Complainant Nidhi Rait alleged being induced into seeking admission for a Bachelor of Vocation interior course after being told that the institute was associated with Sangai International University, Manipur, that the university was UGC-recognised, and that internships and placements would be provided. The complaint said fees of Rs 80,000 per year, along with those for exams, were paid for 2022-2023 and 2023-2024, but students later learnt through UGC notices that Sangai International University was “self-styled and unrecognised”, and that degrees issued by it were not valid for higher education or employment.

The complaint alleged that the institute continued taking in students without keeping them informed, did not provide promised internships, delayed exams and results, and later claimed association with Sikkim International University, which students also found to be unrecognised on verification. It also alleged discrepant and fabricated marksheets without proper seals, signatures and formats, with inconsistent entries for many students. The exam results exhibited severe administrative irregularities, including inconsistent scoring and chronological discrepancies, it said.

Magdum said the FIR was illegal and baseless. He said after finding out that Sangai was not recognised by UGC, the college informed students and took steps to protect their academic future by coordinating with other universities and associating with Sikkim International University. His plea said marksheets were issued by the university and not by him, and that the institution even bore additional financial liability to obtain marksheets.

The investigating officer said custodial interrogation was required to unearth how fraudulent documents were prepared, how much money was generated, and who else was involved, and alleged that bail could lead to tampering with evidence.