Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) has put the evaluation process for the PhD Fellowship Entrance Test on hold after allegations of a paper leak during the examination held on January 10, 2024. The entrance test, conducted for BARTI, Mahajyoti, and Sarathi organizations, saw a temporary suspension in the evaluation as the university addresses concerns raised by students regarding the sealing of question papers.
In a circular issued today, the university vehemently denied claims of a paper leak and clarified the circumstances surrounding the alleged irregularities. The examination, administered by the SET Department of SPPU, covered multiple organizations across Pune, Chattrapati Sambhajinagar, Kolhapur, and Nagpur.
Allegations arose when students discovered that question papers for sets C and D were not appropriately sealed. The university, in response, emphasized in the circular that the printing of the question papers followed standardized secret protocols and was outsourced to two different printing presses. While acknowledging potential differences in the methods used by each printing press, the circular stressed that the question papers reached their respective exam centers in a sealed manner.
The circular clarified that students were explicitly instructed not to open unsealed question booklets. Students who adhered to these instructions found sets A and B sealed, while sets C and D were reportedly unsealed. In response, these students opted not to take the exam.
Addressing concerns of a paper leak, the circular detailed that sets A and B were printed by one press, and sets C and D were printed by another. Despite the reported lack of sealing for sets C and D, the circular assured that pamphlets containing question papers were securely sealed. These pamphlets were opened at the examination centers, and no hard or soft copies of the paper were accessible to officials before the exam began. The circular emphatically stated that no member associated with the exam process had knowledge of any part of the question paper, dismissing any allegations of a paper leak.
