The Allahabad University (AU) will start issuing degrees and marksheets embedded with added multiple security features from this academic session. The move is aimed at checking forgery by unscrupulous elements.
Alarmed by incidents of fake degrees and marksheets surfacing in different cities and states – with some forgeries being so fine that even AU officials were able to certify them as forged only after checking the records – the university decided to re-do its marksheets and degrees, and embellish them with security features that would be difficult to spot and almost impossible to duplicate.
Though the idea for this was mooted way back in 2014, it is only now that the university is gearing up to issue these ‘smart’ degrees and marksheets to students completing their courses in 2020, university officials said. Later, these marksheets will be gradually issued to all students from the coming academic sessions, they added.
“The new degrees and marksheets have been specially prepared by us in strict confidentiality and are loaded with a range of security features that will be impossible to replicate. We are keeping the exact details of these security features confidential,” said a senior AU official requesting anonymity.
AU examination controller Ramendra Singh confirmed the move and said that tenders have been invited for smart degrees and marksheets. “Once the process is complete we will share rest of the information,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}AU examination controller Ramendra Singh confirmed the move and said that tenders have been invited for smart degrees and marksheets. “Once the process is complete we will share rest of the information,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Though university officials are tight-lipped regarding the security features, the new degrees are expected to be resistant to stain, water and chemicals. This will ensure that the particulars printed on a degree cannot be erased using known methods, including special rubbers and chemicals.
In January 2020, AU officials detected five degrees that were sent for verification to it by hiring firms as fake. These fake degrees and marksheets included those of BA, BSc, Bachelor of Physical Education or BPEd, MA and DPhil. All of these are of a period between 2005 and 2011. When scrutinised and matched with varsity records, they were found to be fakes.
In 2010, seven candidates of special BTC had produced fake marksheets of AU, while in 2013 officials had found fake marksheets were issued to a youth from Maharashtra. In December 2011 too, three persons were arrested in Prayagraj for being allegedly involved in a fake marksheets’ racket operating out of a cyber café in Mumfordganj area. The accused used to prepare forged degrees of different universities.