Forging certificate to obtain lecturer job: Kerala Govt college files case against student

Kochi: Maharajas College, Ernakulam, an autonomous college in Kerala has filed a complaint against a former student for using a forged certificate of experience to secure the post of a Guest Lecturer at a government college in Wayanad. The complaint has been registered against K. Vidya, a former student of the college, who completed her Postgraduation in Malayalam during 2016 - 2018.

The principal has told the media that it was on Monday that a teacher from the college in Wayanad got in touch with them to enquire about Vidya’s teaching experience, as it was mentioned in her certificate that she had worked as a Guest Lecturer in Maharajas College during the academic years 2018-19 and 2020-21. But the college had not sought the services of Guest Lecturers in the department of Malayalam for the past decade.

After the cross-checking of certificates, it was found out that she has forged the signatures of the Head of the Department, as well as the seal and emblem of the college. The principal added that they have filed a complaint against her to the local police.

"Her certificate showed that she was teaching as a Guest Lecturer here during 2018-19 and 2020-21. On perusal of our records it was found out that this college had not sought the services of any guest lecturer in the Malayalam department in the past one decade," said the principal.

"Then we checked the certificate of experience and here too it was shown assigned by the Principal/Head of Department. No certificates are issued by the head of departments in this college. The seal and the emblem are all fake. After doing all this we registered a complaint against Vidya with the local police," added the principal.

Meanwhile, the Congress-backed student organisation, KSU, has begun a protest and blamed the CPI(M) backed student organisation, SFI, was behind this fake certificate racket.

Vidya after her Master's degree had joined the Sanskrit University at Kalady and finished her M.Phil. She at the same time was a leading SFI student's activist.

Mohammed Shiyas, the Ernakulam district Congress committee president, said the woman is a close friend of a now leading SFI office-bearer.

"This is the work of the CPI(M), which will go to any extent to help their cadres, and this is a clear case of fraud being done and using the government influence wrongly," said Shiyas.

It has now come to light that Vidya by using this fake certificate had taught at government colleges in Kasaragod and Palakkad.

IANS Input