The University of Pune has decided to review the whole process of recruitment of the non-teaching staff that started last year and is still going on, after it found an anomaly in the process. A clerk from the administration department has been found prima facie guilty of changing marks of nine candidates so that the candidates could become eligible for the posts.

Vice chancellor Narendra Jadhav revealed this in a press conference on Wednesday. "The clerk concerned had made changes in the final marks of nine candidates who had appeared for the written exams for the post of class 3 staff. The clerk changed the marks in a way that these candidates become eligible for the posts," said Jadhav.

"Even if it is one such incident, the UoP will review the process as there might have been some irregularity on earlier ocassions," said Jadhav. It is also alleged that the clerk did it by taking money to the tune of Rs 2 lakh from each candidate and some senior officials were also involved in the process. "If found guilty, the senior officials will also not be spared," said Jadhav.

The university has been conducting the recruitment process to fill over 150 posts of non-teaching staff from the last year. On February 21, written exams were held for 41 posts. There were around 300 candidates in the race.

"The clerk concerned changed the marks of nine candidates while making the computer entry. It was brought to my notice on the same day by the examiners when they found anomaly in marks put up on website and actual marks on paper. The UoP officials then verified it. Of nine candidates, two are children of the staff members of the UoP and seven are the clerk's friends," said Jadhav. Jadhav said the clerk had confessed before the fact-finding committee, but the UoP has decided to give him show cause notice.