Question paper leak scandal rocks PJTSAU; BSc Agriculture papers circulated on WhatsApp, exam cancelled

Hyderabad: A major question paper scandal has rocked Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University (PJTSAU).

The question papers of the BSc (Agriculture) third-year, first-semester examinations were leaked from Warangal and circulated to in-service candidates through WhatsApp.

The university has cancelled the admissions of 35 in-service students, suspended one senior official and three staff members, and ordered a detailed cybercrime investigation.

Swift action by University

Acting on the findings, the Registrar issued suspension orders against a senior official and three employees on Thursday night.

The university also annulled the admissions of 35 in-service candidates who had joined the BSc (Agriculture) course three years ago under the in-service quota.

All the affected candidates, currently working as Agricultural Extension Officers, have been sent back to the Agriculture Department and blacklisted from seeking future admissions under the in-service quota.

Unusual marks trigger probe

The malpractice came to light after Vice-Chancellor Aldas Janayya recently visited the Jagityal Agricultural College and scrutinised the mark sheets of the latest semester examinations.

He noticed that several in-service students had secured over 90 per cent marks in the Pathology subject. Academics pointed out that Pathology is considered one of the toughest subjects, where even top-performing students rarely score beyond 60 per cent. The unusually high marks raised a strong suspicion.

CCTV review exposes cheating

Following the anomaly, the Vice-Chancellor ordered a review of CCTV footage from the examination centres. The footage revealed that one in-service candidate completed the exam within just ten minutes and remained idle thereafter.

When questioned, the student admitted that the question paper had been received via WhatsApp from Warangal before the examination.

Use of AI-based pens

During further questioning, the student disclosed that answers to all 40 objective questions in Part A were preloaded into AI-enabled pens. The candidates allegedly used these pens to write the examinations, making the malpractice harder to detect during invigilation.

Organised racket uncovered

A three-member inquiry committee constituted by the Vice-Chancellor conducted a detailed investigation and unearthed an organised racket. It found that a senior official and an employee from Warangal Agricultural College had colluded to leak question papers of six examinations.

The accused reportedly circulated the papers through WhatsApp groups and collected between Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000 from each candidate. In total, 35 in-service students studying in various agricultural colleges across the state received the leaked papers.

Cybercrime probe ordered

Terming the incident grave, the Vice-Chancellor has directed that the case be handed over to the cybercrime wing for a comprehensive investigation. The probe will also examine lapses in question paper security and the conduct of examinations across the university.

The scandal has raised serious concerns over exam integrity and the growing misuse of advanced technology in higher education assessments.