A private university in Rajasthan is under scrutiny for purportedly issuing counterfeit and retroactively dated degrees for courses lacking proper accreditation. The alleged number of fraudulent degrees is reported to be 43,409. The Special Operation Group (SOG) of the Rajasthan police is investigating these claims concerning Om Prakash Jogender Singh (OPJS) University in Churu, dating back to its establishment in 2013. 

The university attracted attention on April 8 when 1,300 applicants for the 2022 physical training instructor (PTI) exam presented degrees from the institution. The PTI course at the university was accredited in 2016, but only for 100 seats. Eligibility for the PTI 2022 exam was restricted to students enrolled before 2020. 

The police stated that the university could not have legitimately issued such a large number of degrees. This revelation follows shortly after the arrest of Joginder Singh Dalal, the founder-owner of the university, for his alleged involvement in the scam. 

An investigation into the leakage of exam papers and malpractices in college entrance and government exams implicated Joginder Singh Dalal. Initial findings indicate that the university founder allegedly provided backdated degrees to individuals needing graduation certificates for visa applications. 

Multiple complaints from students prompted the investigation into the university. According to DIG (SOG) Paris Deshmukh, since 2013, the university has granted 708 PhDs, 8,861 engineering degrees, and 1,640 degrees in physical education. 

Police suspect that candidates obtained backdated degrees from the university to apply for government jobs, including the PTI exam, which aimed to fill approximately 4,500 vacancies. "The university has a staff of fewer than 30 employees. With such limited numbers, it is not possible to run a university," Mr. Deshmukh commented. 

On June 24, the Rajasthan Higher Education Department issued an order to stop new admissions to all courses at the university. 

Previously, the University Grants Commission (UGC) had barred the university from admitting scholars into any PhD programs since December last year. 

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