Perhaps this is the first time I am reading about a Mumbai college principal getting arrested, and that too for demanding donation for admission! For more see: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Principal-of-Mumbais-Khalsa-College-held-for-taking-bribe/articleshow/34843477.cms. Here's a related article: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Mumbais-Khalsa-college-principal-not-new-to-controversy/articleshow/34850282.cms.
Corrupt, illegal and unethical practices are, very unfortunately, quite common in many parts of Indian academia today. Law enforcement stepping in and arresting guilty academic administrators and guilty academics may be the only way to stem the rot. Mumbai/Bombay police have a reputation of taking on criminal offenders even if they are highly placed in society.
In a way it is a sad development. But on deeper thought, it is such action that will send fear shockwaves among those Indian academics and Indian academic administrators who indulge in corrupt and illegal practices. They will realize that they are not above the law of the land and that they too can be arrested and sent to jail if they violate the Indian Penal Code. That then will reduce such corrupt and illegal practices (including record-tampering which is a criminal offence under the Indian Penal Code, and which I have had some unhappy and blood-pressure-raising-furious experience of) in Indian academia. However, it may not do anything to hamper unethical but not illegal practices of Indian academia.
BTW I did my half-year or so of M.Sc. (Physics-Electronics), before dropping out (due to financial problems), as a student of Khalsa college (for lab. work), Mumbai, in 1983-84. The lab. work was at Khalsa college with the theory classes being held in the University of Bombay, Kalina campus. In the short time I spent in Khalsa college I did not hear of such stuff but that does not mean that they did not happen. I must also say that the electronics lab. at Khalsa was managed by the very reputed Prof. Mohinder Singh (if I recall the name correctly). He took care of the lab. like his own child and we students had to be sensitive to his loving concern towards the lab. At that time, for M.Sc. electronics, due to Prof. Mohinder Singh mainly, Khalsa college lab. was reputed to be one of the best labs. in the University of Bombay (now Mumbai).
On a personal note, I must say that Prof. Mohinder Singh was also a good man and I was told that he felt quite pained that I had to quit M.Sc. due to my financial problems - I could not bring myself then, as a student caught up in a very difficult situation, to tell him directly about me quitting. Maybe I was worried about him convincing me to continue - I wanted to simply start earning decent money by getting a job instead of struggling to do M.Sc. with financial problems. In hindsight, my decision to quit M.Sc. and take up a job instead was one of the best decisions of my life.
Corrupt, illegal and unethical practices are, very unfortunately, quite common in many parts of Indian academia today. Law enforcement stepping in and arresting guilty academic administrators and guilty academics may be the only way to stem the rot. Mumbai/Bombay police have a reputation of taking on criminal offenders even if they are highly placed in society.
In a way it is a sad development. But on deeper thought, it is such action that will send fear shockwaves among those Indian academics and Indian academic administrators who indulge in corrupt and illegal practices. They will realize that they are not above the law of the land and that they too can be arrested and sent to jail if they violate the Indian Penal Code. That then will reduce such corrupt and illegal practices (including record-tampering which is a criminal offence under the Indian Penal Code, and which I have had some unhappy and blood-pressure-raising-furious experience of) in Indian academia. However, it may not do anything to hamper unethical but not illegal practices of Indian academia.
BTW I did my half-year or so of M.Sc. (Physics-Electronics), before dropping out (due to financial problems), as a student of Khalsa college (for lab. work), Mumbai, in 1983-84. The lab. work was at Khalsa college with the theory classes being held in the University of Bombay, Kalina campus. In the short time I spent in Khalsa college I did not hear of such stuff but that does not mean that they did not happen. I must also say that the electronics lab. at Khalsa was managed by the very reputed Prof. Mohinder Singh (if I recall the name correctly). He took care of the lab. like his own child and we students had to be sensitive to his loving concern towards the lab. At that time, for M.Sc. electronics, due to Prof. Mohinder Singh mainly, Khalsa college lab. was reputed to be one of the best labs. in the University of Bombay (now Mumbai).
On a personal note, I must say that Prof. Mohinder Singh was also a good man and I was told that he felt quite pained that I had to quit M.Sc. due to my financial problems - I could not bring myself then, as a student caught up in a very difficult situation, to tell him directly about me quitting. Maybe I was worried about him convincing me to continue - I wanted to simply start earning decent money by getting a job instead of struggling to do M.Sc. with financial problems. In hindsight, my decision to quit M.Sc. and take up a job instead was one of the best decisions of my life.
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