Former SFI leader Nikhil Thomas arrested in Degree certificate forgery case

Thiruvananthapuram: Nikhil Thomas, a former leader of the Students' Federation of India (SFI), has been apprehended by the police today in connection with allegations of forging a degree certificate. The arrest comes after a fellow SFI member accused Nikhil of securing admission for a Master's course at MSM College, Kayamkulam, using a fabricated undergraduate degree certificate.

According to the complaint lodged with the Kayamkulam police, Nikhil purportedly claimed to have completed his Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree at MSM College under the University of Kerala between 2018 and 2020. However, it was revealed that he had failed to clear the exams during that period. Despite this, he managed to gain admission to the Master of Commerce (MCom) program at the same college by submitting a counterfeit degree certificate from Kalinga University in Chhattisgarh.

The overlapping timeline between the two degrees raised suspicions, prompting an investigation into the matter. Initially, the SFI extended its support to Nikhil but later retracted its stance when Kalinga University clarified that no student by the name of Nikhil Thomas had ever been enrolled there during the specified period. Consequently, MSM College suspended Nikhil earlier this week, and the University of Kerala cancelled his MCom course.

In a related incident, another former SFI activist, K Vidya, has been arrested by the Agali police in Kozhikode on June 22 for allegedly forging an experience certificate while applying for a guest faculty position in a government college. Following her arrest, Vidya claimed that the accusation of forging the certificate was a political "trap" orchestrated by the Congress party, targeting her and the Communist Party of India (Marxist).

These recent developments have sparked widespread discussions about the integrity of educational qualifications and their impact on student politics. The arrests of Nikhil Thomas and K Vidya have sent shockwaves through the SFI and raised questions about the selection processes employed by educational institutions. Authorities and educational bodies are now under increased scrutiny to ensure the verification of certificates and qualifications of their students.

As the legal proceedings unfold, both Nikhil Thomas and K Vidya will face the full force of the law, and the investigations will shed further light on the alleged forgery and its consequences.