Three-year RI for student in NU fake mark-sheet scandal

Nagpur, Aug 15 (UNI) A student was sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 20,000 in the fake mark-sheet scandal that had rocked Nagpur University some years ago.

Special Judge A S Gattani, hearing a bunch of cases relating to the scandal, yesterday sentenced Dinanath Bhikulal Nagpure under various sections of the IPC for forging his mark-sheet. Taking the offence seriously, the court refused Nagpure's plea to suspend the sentence while he went into appeal. He was sent to Central Jail here from the court.

The accused was sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment on one count of cheating, three years of imprisonment on one count of forgery, and one year of imprisonment on one count of passing off forged documents as genuine. The sentences will run concurrently. The court also imposed total fine of Rs 20,000 for cheating and forgery.

Nagpure had submitted a fake mark-sheet as well as a fake certificate claiming himself to be a project-affected person to seek admission to a B.Ed. course in a local college. The admission committee got suspicious about the document when it discovered discrepancies in Nagpure's mark-list. The revenue authorities also clarified that they had never issued a certificate to Nagpure.

The fake mark-sheet and degree certificate scandal in Nagpur University was exposed in 1999, and had led to the arrest of as many as 219 persons. This is the first conviction in this scam.

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