Haryana resident booked for buying fake degrees
Five years after Manav Bharti University near here was bokked in a case of cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy for selling fake degrees, its beneficiaries are now facing legal consequences.
Dharampur police have issued a notice to Mahesh Sharma, a resident of Kalka, who had obtained a fake BA and LLB degree from the university, ordering him to appear before them. According to the ongoing investigation, Sharma had also enrolled with the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana High Court using these fraudulent degrees.
The case came to fore when Sunil Dutt, a Kalka resident, filed a complaint with the Dharampur police on January 20, 2024. Dutt alleged that Mahesh Sharma had obtained fake BA and LLB degrees from Manav Bharti University, located at Lado village near Sultanpur in Solan.
According to Dutt’s complaint, Sharma (34) obtained a BA degree from the university during the 2010-13 academic session, even though the BA programme at the university had only started in 2014. Using this fake BA degree, Sharma then acquired an LLB degree from the same university. He subsequently registered with the Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana High Court on the basis of these fraudulent credentials.
“The Dharampur police filed charges of cheating and forgery against Sharma on January 20, 2024. During the investigation, it was discovered that no BA degree had been issued by the university for the 2010-13 academic session. In fact, the BA programme was not even recognised by the university at that time,” said Solan SP Gaurav Singh. Sharma's LLB degree was also found to be based on this fraudulent BA degree, leading to his registration with the Bar Council using these fake qualifications,” he added.
In the light of these findings, Sharma has been required to appear before the authorities under section 35(3) of the BNSS while the investigation continues. Notably, an FIR was filed against Manav Bharti University on March 8, 2020, under Sections 420, 467, 468 and 120B of the IPC for cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy after Solan police conducted an investigation into the widespread reports of the university selling fake degrees.
