Seethalakshmi S and Mathang Seshagiri - Times News Network

Bangalore, Apr 25: The Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences is in the dock again after the PGET scam. This time for altering internal assessment marks.

The inquiry committee headed by former additional chief secretary J K Arora has indicted the university for altering the internal assessment marks of 14 candidates from six medical colleges during the September 2004 MBBS exams.

The university not only allowed the tampering to take place but also failed to check ineligible students from writing the examinations.

Taking a cue from The Times of India exposé, 'Marks scam rocks RGUHS', in January 2005, the committee has found that the tampering has taken place at the computer operators'level the RGUHS.

"There was a nexus between the students, who benefited from the marks modifications and persons who have caused the modification. It, therefore, recommends that a thorough inquiry be conducted by CoD,"the report said.

The committee has found that four students from three medical colleges were issued admission tickets although they had less than 35% marks in the internal assessment and that RGUHS is responsible for not sending the list of ineligible students well in time.

It says the university has not taken any steps to ensure that its instructions regarding hall tickets are followed strictly.

"Principals of three medical colleges who had the responsibility of checking the eligibility criteria before issuing hall tickets, are responsible and in case of one college the clerical staff has also been found responsible for the lapse."

It has recommended that RGUHS should take action against MRMC Medical College, Gulbarga; J N Medical College, Belgaum, and KIMS, Bangalore.

During the probe, the two-member committee found Shivalingaiah, professor of medicine, and Poornachandra, HoD, medicine department at KIMS, Bangalore, as directly responsible for sending false report to the RGUHS.

In addition, it found series of lapses at KIMS in conducting the exam. First, no proper procedure was followed for marking attendance of students during the internal assessment exam.

Next, the marks were not displayed on the notice board and also no norms were followed in handling blank and used answer sheets.

"Poornachandra has not fully cooperated with the inquiry team sent by the university. Shivalingaiah is responsible for making different statements before different committees,"Arora has said.

After the scam, RGUHS constituted a sub-committee of the Syndicate and the Karnataka Legislative Council instituted a House Committee under the chairmanship of Congress MLC K C Kondaiah to investigate further. The committee also recommended that it should be referred to the CoD.