Want a first class MA degree? Skip the exam, marry this IPS officer

Want a first class MA degree? Skip the exam, marry this IPS officer
ARUN SRIVASTAVA

PATNA, December 25: Shikha Gupta, wife of a senior IPS officer Anurag Gupta, obtained a master's degree in history from Magadh University, Gaya, with first class in 1995. Soon after, she managed a lecturer's job in the university's faculty of Law. She even submitted the synopsis for a Phd.

The bubble burst on November 30 when Manoj Nath, IG (CID), who investigated Shikha's professional credentials, submitted a report before the Patna High Court.

Nath's report alleged that Shikha got her first class degree without writing the exams. The Magadh University awarded her degree apparently without taking even the examination fee.

The report implicates the university officials for ``allowing her (Shikha)... to take an examination against all norms... granting her a first class degree, without there being any evidence of her writing seven out of eight papers, appointing her as a lecturer without following the proper procedure, registering her twice over for a PhD degree, writing the synopsis of the PhD on her behalf, giving her a false certificate of employment in order to enable her to finish her research in a much shorter time''.

The report accuses Anurag who was Superintendent of Police, Gaya, for using his official position to manipulate the entire process. It has also chargedformer Vice Chancellors of Magadh University, Justice (retd) S.C. Mukherjee and Ziyuddin Ahmed and present VC B.N. Rawat with fraud and defalcation of public money.

Mukherjee has defended himself saying that he simply allowed the existing arrangements to continue. Acccording to the CID report, they all resorted to ``semantic jugglery'' to save their faces. According to the CID report, officials filed an FIR against Anurag and his wife, only after the High Court told them to do so.

The High Court issued at least a dozen notices to Shikha and Anurag to appear before it. But the couple evaded the notices. It took an arrest warrant for Anurag who was with the SPG in New Delhi to approach the court. He has been sent back to Bihar following the CID report.

The High Court will hear the case on January 20.

Meanwhile, the CID has already approached the government to grant sanctions against serving officials for filing a chargesheet against them.

The Bihar government seems to be waiting for the court to act first. Says Mukund Prasad, chief secretary of Bihar: ``Let the Court decide. Then we'll act accordingly.''. Till then, Anurag, who has been transferred to the Jharkhand cadre, will cool his heels.