Paper leak accused takes MCA entrance test at university

One of the accused in the engineering paper leak case stepped out of jail on Sunday morning to write an exam at the University of Mumbai’s Kalina campus.

One of the accused in the engineering paper leak case stepped out of jail on Sunday morning to write an exam at the University of Mumbai’s Kalina campus.

Vivek Gaikwad, a laboratory assistant at Yadavrao Tasgaonkar College in Karjat, who was arrested by the police on June 4, appeared for a distance education masters programme entrance exam escorted by police officers. Gaikwad had lost his job at the college following his arrest.

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Gaikwad took the entrance test for the three-year distance education masters in computer applications. University officials said they had no idea that one of the applicants for the course was an accused in the case, until he showed up at the Kalina campus accompanied by police officers.

“We had no information about this,” said D Harichandan, director of the university’s Institute of Distance and Open Learning (IDOL), which administers the course. “He is like any other student.”

It is not clear if Gaikwad will be allowed to pursue the course if he clears the test, but Harichandan said they had not received any information from the university on the issue so far.

Last week the case was officially referred to the committee. The five-member committee headed by Saroj Phadnis, principal of VK Krishna Menon College in Bhandup, is likely to meet within the next two weeks. “We will be calling the students for a hearing, following which we will conduct an enquiry,” said Phadnis.