Two days after Principal Srinivas Reddy and the Managing Partner Shyam Sundar Reddy of the Sri Vasavi Junior College in Vanasthalipuram in Hyderabad were arrested for cheating as many as 248 students, it has emerged that the Principal was allegedly involved in a similar scam in 2015, at another institution. Further, education department officials say that Sri Vasavi College had no approval to operate.
The management of the Vasavi college had collected exam fees from the students, but did not pay the fees to the Board of Intermediate Education (BIE), thereby leaving students in the lurch.
In 2015, Srinivas Reddy was the principal of Navodaya College in LB Nagar. The college had 380 students, and government officials say that Reddy had cheated students there as well. There too, he had had collected examination fee from the students but did not pay the amount to Telangana State Board of Intermediate Examination (TSBIE).
“When he approached the board at that time, he was asked to pay a penalty of Rs.11.77 lakh, for forwarding the applications of students studying in Navodaya College late. He was to pay a penalty of Rs. 3,300 per student, but he only paid Rs.300,” said Susheel Kumar, controller of examinations in TSBIE. Soon after, Reddy disappeared without paying the fine, say officials.
The students of Navodaya College approached the board immediately and were allowed to take the exam as students of Government Junior College in Saroornagar, Susheel Kumar added. However, no complaint was filed.
In 2017, he approached the TSBIE again, seeking permission to re-launch a college in Suryapet and for shifting the campus to Vanasthalipuram. “He approached us seeking permission to relaunch Varun college in Suryapet, which was started in 2013. The college was a nonfunctional college as there were no admissions for one year,” said Susheel.
“Since he already had to pay the penalty for Navodaya College in 2015, the Board did not give the permission for the college,” he added. He however went ahead with the admissions anyway.
Students at Vasavi might not get the same opportunity as the Navodaya students. While other students prepare for their exams, students of Vasavi college are anxious that they will not be able to give exams now. “We are left with no choice but to appear for exams in May. But strict action should be taken against him and we want our money back,” says Chandrakant, a student at the college.
“In 2015, when he cheated the students, the students approached us nearly one week before the exams so it was possible for us to accommodate them, unlike this time when students brought the issue to our notice just one day before the exams,” Susheel Kumar said.
Srinivas Reddy however denies all allegations, and told the media recently, "Despite applying for name change of college and shifting of campus, officials did not process the application because I did not pay bribe. I hold the Board secretary Ashok and controller of examinations, Susheel Kumar, responsible for the plight of students.”
Susheel has denied these allegations.
When repeatedly asked about why TSBIE had not taken action against Srinivas despite knowing his past, Susheel said that the students should have come forward earlier, when he failed to conduct the practical examination.