HYDERABAD: Professor Jayashankar Telangana Agricultural University (PJTAU) on Thursday took action on 35 third-year BSc (Agriculture) students for their alleged involvement in a semester examination paper leak.
According to university officials, suspicion arose after scrutiny of records and CCTV footage suggested that question papers of semester final examinations had been leaked.
A three-member committee was constituted to conduct a detailed inquiry, which found that about 35 students—working as Agricultural Extension Officers (AEOs) in the Agriculture department and pursuing BSc (Agriculture) under the in-service quota—were systematically leaking question papers with the help of university staff.
The leaked papers were allegedly circulated to students of other agricultural colleges through WhatsApp groups, with large sums of money changing hands. The committee concluded that the malpractice had been going on for several years.
Taking serious note of the findings, the university suspended four staff members, including a senior official, and took action against 35 in-service quota students, sending them back to the Agriculture department.
Vice-Chancellor Aldas Janaiah said several irregularities had occurred at the university between 2014 and 2024 due to the absence of senior officials, describing the paper leak as one such instance. He said the university had initiated a “purification process” and acted swiftly against those responsible. If required, he added, a complaint would be filed with the cybercrime police for a comprehensive probe.