Mumbai University Fines Powai College Rs 2 Lakh For Inflating BCom Marks

Mumbai University has officially penalized SM Shetty College, located in Powai, imposing a fine of Rs 2 lakh for allegedly inflating BCom students' marks and failing to comply with university rules for moderating scores. The decision to penalize the local institution was finalized during a university management council meeting held this week.

The penalty marks the very first instance where Mumbai University has penalized an autonomous college for the inflation of student marks. This unprecedented disciplinary action has raised serious concerns regarding the integrity of the college’s evaluation and assessment methods.

The underlying issue first came to light last year. Two teachers at the college, identified as Vijay Vishwakarma and Virendra Kumar Singh, allegedly refused to sign a document that revised the marks of second-year BCom students to help them pass their exams. Both Vishwakarma and Singh have been in active service as teachers at the Powai college for a number of years.

In a legal notice sent directly to Mumbai University, the two teachers detailed the grading issues. They alleged that they were asked to change the marks of students who scored 25, 26, 27, and other failing grades, raising them to 40, which is the minimum score required to clear the examinations. The teachers stated in their legal notice that the marks of more than 35 students had been altered in this manner.

In a related development earlier this year, the university decided to initiate a comprehensive audit of the examination processes across all autonomous colleges under its umbrella. The university has also introduced additional compliance requirements for approving any new courses in the future. These systemic decisions were introduced following growing concerns over governance and assessment practices in autonomous institutions.