CU mandates graded penalties for examination misconduct
Kolkata: Calcutta University has notified a graded framework of penalties for breaches of discipline during university examinations, linking the severity of punishment to the nature of the offence. The measures range from cancellation of individual papers to permanent debarment from appearing in any university examination.
The most severe penalty, classified as ECDB-F, involves cancellation of the entire examination along with permanent debarment from all future examinations of the university.
This punishment applies to the gravest violations, including impersonation and serious criminal or disruptive conduct, such as creating disturbances inside the examination hall, abusing, assaulting or threatening invigilators, or causing damage to the examination hall or centre. For major technical offences, such as forging the university logo, symbol, number or signature on examination-related documents, or offering bribes to invigilators or examiners, the university has prescribed a two-year debarment along with examination cancellation (ECDB-2).
A one-year debarment (ECDB-1) from appearing in any university examinations, along with examination cancellation, will be imposed on candidates found tampering with answer scripts, inserting written materials brought from outside, taking blank answer books or additional sheets out of the examination hall and writing answers beforehand and stitching them with the original answer scripts, or using electronic devices to transmit or receive examination-related information.
Possession or use of mobile phones, smartwatches or similar electronic gadgets inside the examination hall will result in cancellation of the entire examination (EC). The same penalty applies to candidates who leave the examination hall without submitting their answer scripts or appear from a non-allotted centre on more than one occasion.
In cases such as writing abusive language or drawing illicit pictures in answer scripts, the university has provided for combined penalties, including cancellation of the examination along with debarment for one or two years, depending on the seriousness of the offence. At the basic level, cancellation of the concerned paper (CCP) will be enforced for offences including possession of or copying from unauthorised printed or handwritten materials, mutual exchange of answer scripts, disclosure of identity in the answer book, deliberately writing answers illegibly, writing answers in languages other than English or Bengali, or deliberately altering roll or registration numbers.
The guidelines further state that if a candidate commits offences in more than one subject, the punishment will be escalated to the next higher level. While the list of offences is detailed, the university has retained the discretion to recommend lighter punishment or exoneration where charges are not clearly established, allowing flexibility based on the facts of individual cases.
