Fake candidates in UP Board exams: Board asks DIOSs of 15 dists to probe, assist cops

UP Board intensifies crackdown on fake candidates in exams, directing investigations across 15 districts, resulting in 22 FIRs and 49 arrests.

The Uttar Pradesh Board has stepped up the crackdown on fake candidates appearing in board exams, directing the district inspectors of schools (DIOSs) across 15 districts to intensify investigations and hand over all proof to the police.

For representation only (HT File Photo)

This year, DIOS of Agra, Etah, Meerut, Hapur, Bijnor, Shahjahanpur, Fatehpur, Kaushambi, Pratapgarh, Etawah, Kannauj, Jhansi, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Azamgarh, Gonda and Gorakhpur have been told to probe whether school staff deliberately uploaded wrong photos, whether invigilators matched photos within the first 15 minutes of the exam, and whether centre administrators informed police promptly or attempted to conceal facts. They must also clarify if there was any delay or negligence in filing FIRs.

Since the UP Board’s High School and Intermediate exams began on February 18, police have registered 22 FIRs and arrested 49 fake candidates in 15 districts. The pattern, officials say, clearly shows that these are not random acts of cheating but part of a coordinated, well‑funded criminal network that threatens the integrity of the state’s examination system.

All FIRs have been lodged under the Public Examinations (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2004, which allows for a maximum punishment of seven years in jail and fines up to ₹10 lakh.

The instructions, issued by Bhagwati Singh, UP Board secretary, aims to ensure that departmental action is initiated swiftly, investigations are strengthened, and every member of the cheating network—whether a fake examinee, agent or insider—is held accountable leading to weeding out such gangs forever.

Singh has asked all DIOSs to fully cooperate with ongoing police investigations by providing physical documents, CCTV recordings, altered admit cards, and other examination records. Along with this, they have been directed to share any indications of involvement by school staff, centre administrators or invigilators, as-well-as details about the agents or members of the “solver gangs” who bring fake candidates to exam centres.

Investigators have also been asked to look into the status of the actual enrolled student—whether he or she was repeatedly absent, whether parents were aware of the misuse of their child’s documents, and if any money was paid to middlemen. Such students, if found involved, may also come under the scope of the probe.

According to Singh, the entire chain of how a fake candidate breached the Board’s triple‑layer security will now be scrutinised through digital forensics. He said investigators will verify whether photos on original admit cards were digitally altered, whether invigilators matched photos with candidates at the entrance, and whether signatures on attendance sheets were properly checked. Any lapse at any point, he said, will lead to severe action against those responsible.