AICTE asks institutes to verify fake certificates given by students

The All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE)— the apex body that regulates technical education in the country — has decided to weed out those who might have secured admission in engineering institutes on reserved seats by securing and faking caste certificates. The council has directed all institutes approved by it to crack the whip immediately.

The decision is expected to affect a number of students who have used fake SC, ST and OBC certificates to gain admission.

There are over 10,000 institutes, approved by the AICTE, offering different courses across the country. Sources said the degrees of such students will be cancelled, or not awarded.

“Institutes are supposed to verify the certificates but it doesn’t happen all the time. So we have issued a warning to them to verify all such certificates and take strict action,” said a source.

AICTE has also decided to create a database of such cases to take preventive measures.

The regulator issued a circular to all engineering colleges and institutions under it, stating that the government is concerned about the complaints received with regard to use of fake SC, ST, and OBC certificates to gain admissions in education institutions.

“In view of the serious concern expressed by the government of India”, the circular asked all AICTE-approved institutions to create a mechanism to identify the use of fake caste certificates during the admission process. It asked institutions to share data with the AICTE on an annual basis so that a database can be created.

The AICTE gives approval to hundreds of engineering and technical institutions across the country.