The first case of cheating in Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) board exams came to light on Monday, February 17, when a dummy candidate was caught attending a physics examination in Nalasopara board centre. The FIR has been filed on the direction of Maharashtra State Board of HSC and SSC at Pelhar police station.
The Indian Express reported that the state board's anti-copying flying squads caught the dummy candidate during a surprise visit to the Om Sai Junior College in Nalasopara. Rajendra Ahire, Mumbai division chairman, said a flying squad member spotted a dummy candidate during impromptu hall ticket verification. He said it was a random check by officials, and such a visit includes hall ticket checking.
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After the incident was reported to the state board department, the exam centre was instructed to file a police complaint against the accused as per the prescribed procedure. “There will be an independent inquiry by the state board too,” said Ahire.
According to the Indian Express report, if the dummy candidate is caught, the original candidate will not be allowed to attend the rest of the examination and will be banned from appearing in state board exams for the next three years. The exam centre's approval as an exam centre will be revoked in case of any fault.