The decision to place responsibility on college principals to verify the authenticity of PhD degrees submitted by guest lecturer candidates has triggered strong reactions across Karnataka. While the Department of Collegiate Education has already completed two rounds of merit-based appointments for guest lecturers in 430 government first-grade colleges, fresh controversy has emerged over the genuineness of doctoral certificates produced by several selected candidates.Sources indicate that more than 2,000 candidates across the state have submitted PhD certificates obtained from universities outside Karnataka. Allegations and complaints suggest that a significant number of these degrees may be fake.
The move to shift the burden of verification onto individual college principals has raised serious concerns and resentment among aspirants who claim they were denied appointments.
A retired Collegiate Department official said: “At present, principals can verify mark sheets and service certificates. However, questions are being raised about how they can independently verify the authenticity of PhD degrees awarded by universities in other states. Similar concerns have been expressed regarding disability certificates submitted under the special category. Although nodal officers, through District Health Officers, can verify disability claims, critics argue that ensuring accuracy in such cases is not always straightforward.”
The Department of Collegiate Education invites applications for guest lecturer posts, prepares the merit list and conducts counselling centrally. Given this, many believe that the responsibility for verifying PhD credentials from external universities should also rest with the department rather than being passed on to principals. There is growing demand for the formation of a dedicated verification committee that can correspond directly with, or visit, the concerned universities to confirm the authenticity of the degrees.
According to candidates who have raised objections, PhD certificates have reportedly been submitted citing institutions located in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Bihar, among others. An aggrieved candidate, S Kumar, alleged that information obtained under the RTI Act from certain universities revealed that some individuals had not completed their PhDs in the claimed academic years. He further claimed that when research supervisors were contacted by phone and message, they denied supervising such candidates. He demanded that the Education Department itself conduct a thorough authenticity check. However, many in academic circles argue that expecting principals to authenticate doctoral credentials from across India is neither practical nor fair and could expose them to administrative and legal complications.
