Meghalaya varsity still selling fake degrees at hefty prices: ED probe

The Enforcement Directorate (ED), investigating a money laundering case against the founders of Meghalaya’s CMJ University, has discovered that the institution is still selling fake degrees — some dating back more than a decade — at exorbitant prices.

Search operations were recently conducted in New Delhi and Shillong under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act against CMJ University’s Chancellor Chandra Mohan Jha, his family members and others. The ED seized incriminating documents, digital evidence, and froze Rs 1.53 crore in bank accounts.

According to a senior ED officer, digital evidence revealed that degrees from 2012 and 2013 were still being sold despite the university’s dissolution in 2013.

The ED case originates from an FIR and chargesheet filed by the Meghalaya Police, accusing CMJ University and its trustees of defrauding thousands of students by issuing fake degrees in exchange for money. Investigations revealed the issuance of around 20,570 fake degrees, despite the university having a small faculty with questionable credentials.