Yet another allegation pertaining to fake certificates has been levelled in Kerala, this time against the former Kerala Students Union (KSU) state convenor Ansil Jaleel. KSU is the student wing of the Indian National Congress in the state, and the BCom degree certificate of Ansil was verified by Gopakumar, Kerala University’s controller of exams, who found that it was fake. The issue comes at a time when Student Federation of India (SFI) member Nikhil Thomas has been expelled from the party after it was alleged that he enrolled in a master's course with a fabricated undergraduate degree certificate.
According to reports, a news article was published in the Deshabhimani newspaper, the mouthpiece of the CPI(M) in Kerala, alleging that Ansil’s BCom degree certificate was fake. Based on this complaint, the controller of examinations verified the certificate and found that the signature, seal, and register number on the certificate were fake. He also said that the serial number on Ansil’s certificate did not match the sequence of serial numbers issued during the time period mentioned in the certificate. Gopakumar also filed a complaint with the DGP seeking to look into the allegations against Nikhil Thomas and Ansil. Speaking to the media, Gopakumar said that the certificate was verified after the news article was published, but they were not aware of who was behind the fabrication.
Meanwhile, Ansil has refuted all the allegations and said that he had not studied BCom at Kerala University but only enrolled for BA in Hindi literature, which he did not complete. He also said that has not presented a degree certificate anywhere either to secure a job or for higher studies, and added that he has filed a complaint in this regard.
The controversy surrounding fake certificates started during the first week of June with former SFI leader K Vidya being accused of forging an experience certificate. She was a student of the Maharaja’s College in Ernakulam, and it was alleged that she forged an experience certificate claiming that she worked as a guest lecturer at the institution. A police case has been filed against Vidya, who has since been absconding.