Special Correspondent
Pune: A midnight examination scam at Parvatibai Genba College of Engineering in Wagholi, Pune, has sent shockwaves through Maharashtra’s higher education sector. The incident came to light when police, acting on a tip-off, raided the college premises late at night and found students rewriting their Engineering Mathematics–II paper — hours after the official examination had concluded earlier that day.
What followed was not just an instance of malpractice, but a deeper unraveling of an academic setup that seemed to be operating far outside the boundaries of regulation and transparency. Pratik Satav, a staff member at the college, was arrested alongside his accomplices for allegedly charging students between ₹15,000 and ₹35,000 to let them rewrite their answer sheets.
The case would have ended as another examination malpractice story, but the severity intensified when the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) launched a formal investigation. A university-appointed committee visited the college on July 5 to assess the situation — and what they found was even more alarming.
The committee reported that the college currently has no UGC-recognized faculty members, nor a duly appointed principal. The individual functioning as the principal had held only temporary approval, which had already expired, and was also acting as the Controller of Examinations — a clear breach of examination regulations. Shockingly, the answer sheets were not sealed or stored properly, violating multiple university guidelines.
Despite these glaring shortcomings, the college was still approved as an exam center, which raises serious questions about the oversight mechanisms within the university system. The examination process itself — from the way answer sheets were handled to the absence of any verified monitoring — suggests a systemic failure, not just isolated negligence.
What’s more concerning is the impact on students. While the university’s probe indicates that select students willingly participated in this malpractice, many others may have had no knowledge of the incident and now face the risk of collective academic consequences. There is growing anxiety among students over whether results will be canceled or papers will have to be reattempted.
This case has left the university in a difficult position — with no valid principal or faculty on record, who can be officially held accountable? Sources within SPPU suggest that the focus may now shift toward action against the college’s trustees or management, who allowed the institution to operate in violation of academic norms.
As this investigation progresses, it is becoming increasingly evident that the issue is not limited to one college. The university is now under pressure to audit other affiliated private colleges for faculty credentials, exam conduct, and administrative compliance.
