While the chairman of the board of examinations, R C Thorat, has come under fire for declaring the student, S H Gudwe, passed, the Vice-Chancellor Shivraj Nakade is facing flak for his role in the entire episode. Gudwe appeared for the orthopaedics examination held on May 12, the result of which was to be declared the next day, on May 13. However, after a full one month, on June 11, R C Thorat, Board of Examinations chairman announced the results. The board of five examiners comprising had handed over their combined marksheet to Thorat a day after the exam. But Thorat, instead of submitting the result to the University, wrote to vice-chancellor Shivraj Nakade complaining that he was forced by a senior board member to endorse a common marksheet. In a combined marksheet, chances oftampering with the marks are more while in individual assessment, where the examiners submit their marks separately, the possibility of mark tampering is almost ruled out. Hence Thorat, claiming that the combined assessment was improper, sought examiners' individual assessments in his letter to the VC on May 14. He also took exception to the appointment of five examiners. As per the Medical Council of India rules, it prescribes a minimum of two examiners but there is no ceiling on the number. As if on cue, two days later, on May 16, Gudwe shot off an angry letter to the VC, questioning the varsity's decision to constitute a five-member examination board - giving rise to suspicion that he either got to know or assumed a negative result. While Thorat expressed displeasure to the combined form of assessment and did not announce the results, on May 28, Gudwe confronted the VC and Thorat in the former's chamber to question about the five-member board.

He was accompanied by a group of students belonging to thedoctors union. A senior varsity official who witnessed the scene told The Indian Express that Gudwe expressed resentment at the inclusion of a certain senior member, who he alleged had insisted on submitting a combined result.

Meanwhile, between May 12 and June 5, when Thorat finally submitted individual marks, Thorat allegedly visited various cities where the other four examiners were based and secured fresh assessments from them.It is alleged that he also added his own contribution, which may have helped augment Gudwe's aggregate. Gudwe secured a healthy 163 and 161 marks in the theory and practicals, clearing the minimum 150 marks in each category.

However, Thorat denied having personally approached the others saying they had submitted their individual assessments at the request of ``the University officials''. Thorat also denied he had written to the VC questioning the board constitution. While VC Nakade confirmed receiving Thorat's letter, one of the examiners, on condition of anonymityrevealed that Thorat had personally sought his individual assessment.

Contrary to his claim, in the letter to the VC, of being pressured by `a senior member of the board to endorse a combined marksheet, Thorat refused to admit to being pressured at all. Meanwhile, Nakade said that the matter has been ``resolved between the chairman and the rest of the members''. When questioned to deluge the details, the VC said, ``I do not know how the matter was resolved. The chairman took the lead.'' Well, for a student who cleared his MBBS on his sixth attempt, it is a little queer to pass his D Ortho at the very first attempt.

Examiner's comment

The senior examiner (who Thorat alleges had coerced him to endorse a combined result) told The Indian Express that he was approached by Thorat last month and asked to submit his individual assessment. He admitted that it is out of form for the chairman of the Board of Examinations to personally visit an examiner. ``However, my conscience is clear. I have notchanged the marks I had allotted to the student in the initial result. According to me, the student cannot pass,'' the senior doctor maintained.