Meghalaya's controversial private varsity has centres in UP

Meghalaya Governor R.S. Mooshahary Friday said the controversial CMJ University, involved in issuing fake Ph.D. degrees to students, had also established centres in almost all districts of Uttar Pradesh.

CMJ University, the first private varsity in this mountainous state capital of Meghalaya, hit media headlines following Mooshahary, who is also the 'visitor' of the university, exposing various irregularities in its functioning.

The university has created a record of sorts by awarding Ph.D. degrees to 434 candidates in the 2012-13 academic year, and enrolled 490 students for the Ph.D. programme during 2012-2013, even as only 10 of its faculty members have doctorates.

"The university had opened up centres even in Uttar Pradesh... People from places like Andhra Pradesh have ostensibly received degrees from the university," Mooshahary told IANS.

He added: "There is also a possibility that this university has also set up centres in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and other states across the country and might have also issued fake Ph.D. degrees to students."

He said he has written to the University Grants Commission (UGC) urging it to put on its website that action has been ordered into the functioning of CMJ University.

The state's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has arrested the varsity's registrar, Mrinal Kanti Deb, and his deputy Premlal Rai on charges of fraud and cheating.

Chandra Mohan Jha, chancellor of CMJ University, has gone into hiding.

The university has on its website announced that it offers Ph.D. in 79 subjects, which include agriculture, horticulture, engineering, forestry, fashion technology, insurance management, microbiology, nursing, peace studies, pollution control, physics, nanotechnology, police administration, Sanskrit, spots science, Urdu and yoga.

Asked if the Meghalaya government should refer the case to the CBI, Mooshahary said: "The CID is investigating and it is up to them to take action. They should not wait for the CBI but should continue with the investigation seriously."

The university was established in 2009 following a bill passed by the Meghalaya assembly, which became the CMJ University Act, 2009, after receiving the governor's assent.