Gujarat Technological University (GTU) has registered 201 cases of unfair means against students allegedly caught cheating during the summer semester examinations for various undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The cases involve the use of chits, books, electronic gadgets and other prohibited materials inside examination halls.
Among those booked, eight students have been placed under the university’s Level-8 category after they were found carrying or allegedly using mobile phones or smartwatches during the examinations.
According to university officials, some of these students reportedly refused to provide the passwords to their mobile phones, prompting suspicion that the devices may have been used to access study material while writing the exams. All 201 students have been asked to appear before the GTU Unfair Means Committee on July 6 and 7, where they will be given an opportunity to present their case before disciplinary action is finalised.
GTU follows a graded penalty system for examination malpractice. Offences such as carrying chits, books, electronic devices or misbehaving with invigilators and examination staff attract punishment under different categories depending on the nature of the violation.
Cases that do not fall within the university’s prescribed guidelines are treated under the Level-8 category, with the Unfair Means Committee empowered to decide the appropriate action. Most of the remaining students have been booked under Level-2 and Level-3 categories.
Based on the committee’s findings after the hearings, the students may face penalties ranging from cancellation of examination results to debarment from university examinations for one to six semesters, depending on the gravity of the offence.