The Himachal Pradesh High Court has taken a significant step in the ongoing case concerning the issuance of 7,747 degrees by Manav Bharti University. Acting Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Virender Singh, presiding over a division bench, have summoned the investigation report and directed the government to provide an estimated timeframe for verifying the authenticity of the degrees.
The court has scheduled the next hearing for June 1, as it expressed concerns during the previous hearing about the delayed progress in identifying genuine degrees and separating them from fraudulent ones, despite the revelation of the fake degree scam three years ago. Around 250 students from Manav Bharti University (MBU) have reached out to the court, appealing for the retrieval of their original degrees. They have faced obstacles in pursuing higher education due to the unavailability of valid degrees.
To address the issue of fake degrees, the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission, following the instructions of the High Court, established a committee tasked with scrutinizing and verifying the documents related to the alleged fake degrees from Manav Bharti University. Students affected by this predicament have expressed their distress, as their future prospects are uncertain until their degrees are verified.
Manav Bharti University stands accused of distributing counterfeit degrees, prompting the involvement of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) in the ongoing investigation. Since the formation of the Scrutiny Committee, numerous students have submitted applications to verify the authenticity of their certificates. In response to the High Court, Manav Bharti University has urged the police to expedite the investigation process related to this matter.
