Mewar University fake degree case: SOG arrests reach 15, state bars new admissions
A probe that began with two RPSC lecturer candidates' MA degrees has led to the arrest of former Mewar University officials and an alleged mastermind, and to a state ban on new admissions at the Chittorgarh university.
A fake degree investigation at Mewar University, a private university in Gangrar, Chittorgarh district, has led to 15 arrests. Rajasthan's Higher Education Department has also barred the university from taking new admissions.
How the case began
Rajasthan Patrika reports that the case goes back to the Rajasthan Public Service Commission's (RPSC) 2022 recruitment exam for school lecturers in Hindi. Two successful candidates submitted MA degrees from Mewar University during document verification in 2023. The commission doubted the degrees, and an inquiry found both were fake. A complaint from a senior RPSC official led to cases at Civil Lines police station in Ajmer, which were later handed to the state's Special Operations Group (SOG).
Arrests
On 10 May 2026 the SOG arrested a man it described as the main accused in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, Patrika reported. He had been absconding for about six months, and a court remanded him to police custody. Patrika said the network allegedly reached beyond Rajasthan into Delhi NCR.
On 20 July 2026 the university's former deputy examination controller surrendered in court after his anticipatory bail plea was rejected, and the SOG formally arrested him, Patrika reported. That took the number arrested in the case to 15. Patrika said earlier arrests included a former dean, a student section officer, the two candidates and people accused of arranging the degrees. The SOG alleges that former university officials and middlemen worked together to supply backdated degrees and mark sheets. Those arrested have not been convicted.
Admissions barred
In early June 2026, the Higher Education Department ordered Mewar University not to admit new students to any course, Udaipur Kiran reported. The order was based on a report by a committee headed by the Udaipur Divisional Commissioner. Mewar University is also one of the ten private universities the state government has said are under investigation.
Lessons for recruiting bodies
The fraud was caught because RPSC staff questioned the degrees during document verification rather than accepting them. Recruiting bodies that confirm a degree with the university's examination section, and check that the candidate was actually enrolled in the years shown, make it much harder to pass off a backdated degree.
This News Desk report summarises information published by the sources above, written in our own words. Persons named in criminal matters are accused, not convicted, unless a court has ruled otherwise. To report an error, use our contact page.
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