Whereas the CMJ University, Shillong (Meghalaya) has brought disgrace to the system of higher education in India by releasing thousands of fake degrees in the market, the Government of Meghalaya is endeavouring to hide the truth on fake degrees when information is sought under the Right to Information Act.
Governor of the State of Meghalaya and Visitor of CMJ University had cancelled all the degrees issued by this University, lodged FIR with the police on April 30, 2013 and recommended to the Government of Meghalaya dissolution of the University under Section 48 of CMJ University Act, 2009. By now, the University stands dissolved and the admissions, appointments and promotions obtained on the basis of CMJU degrees cancelled throughout India.
CMJ Foundation had lost its case against the Government of Meghalaya both in Single Bench and Division Bench of Meghalaya High Court. Supreme Court had on September 13, 2013 asked the Government of Meghalaya to decide within 3 months cases of students whosoever would represent for the validation of their illegal degrees. Accordingly, notice was issued in February 2014, opportunity of hearing given to students in March 2014, and thereafter, the decision was dispatched to them individually declaring their degrees to be “invalid”. Since decision of the Government on validation of degrees has not been disclosed suo moto on the Government’s website, people throughout India are filing applications to seek the truth.
O. Ropmay, Joint Director of Higher & Technical Education, Meghalaya who has been entrusted with the duty to give reply to the information-seekers is devising unprecedented ways and means to hide the truth. When Chandigarh based RTI Activist Dr Rajinder K Singla sought copy of the decision of the Government of Meghalaya on validation of Ph.D. Degree in Computer Science issued to Mandeep Josan (presently employed on the basis of this degree as Assistant Professor in DAV College, Chandigarh) who was heard by the Government on March 25, 2014, his RTI application written in English language was sent to the Department of Public Relations for translating the same into English Language. Not only that, the public information officer O Ropmay made further mockery of the RTI Act when, instead of providing information/documents as sought by Singla, PIO changed Singla’s RTI application, re-wrote the queries as per his whims and fancies and replied to them.
Apathy, irresponsive attitude and lack of transparency on the part of Government of Meghalaya have been instrumental in encouraging VIP candidates to continue in service on the basis of their fake PhDs who would have otherwise found it difficult to continue had the decision they obtained been made public by the Government either by suo moto disclosure on website, or at least by timely and correct replies to the information seekers.