IIT Bombay Proposes New Rules for Exam Cheating Cases After Student Suicide
The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has prepared draft rules to overhaul its disciplinary procedures for students suspected of cheating in examinations, moving away from immediate sanctions to ensure students are formally heard first.
The proposed framework establishes that any student found allegedly using unfair means during an exam will not face immediate disciplinary action. Instead, the institute will first record the student's explanation and permit them an explicit opportunity to present their side before authorities take any final decision regarding disciplinary penalties. Under the existing procedure, disciplinary action was initiated as soon as unfair means were detected.
The policy revision comes amid intense campus scrutiny and student demonstrations following the death of 22-year-old student Sahil Wakode last month. Wakode was found dead in his room at an IIT Bombay campus hostel hours after an invigilator caught him using a mobile phone and ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.
According to examination hall CCTV footage, Wakode was seated in the front row wearing a black t-shirt when exam invigilator Suryanarayana Doolla stopped and spoke to him. The footage showed Wakode getting up and handing his smartphone over to the invigilator. Following a conversation that continued for some time, the student collected his belongings and walked out of the hall.
The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum subsequently expressed solidarity with Doolla, maintaining that the invigilator was adhering strictly to institutional protocol after identifying the student's unauthorised possession and use of a smartphone.
Following the suicide, massive protests erupted across the campus. Wakode's family and student protesters alleged that he had been subjected to institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination, which drove him to take his own life.
An initial police inquiry found no concrete evidence connecting the faculty member to abetment of suicide on the campus. Investigators have not yet reached a final conclusion regarding the allegations and continue to review all available evidence in the case.
