Assam: 30 FIRs filed in fake certificate admission scam

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: Around 30 FIRs have filed in different police stations of Assam in the sensational fake certificate scam involving admissions to Higher Secondary (HS) first year. This was confirmed by Assam State School Education Board (ASSEB) sources.  The alleged fraud, involving thousands of students who secured admission using forged Class X pass certificates purportedly issued by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), has triggered serious concerns in the state's education sector. 

Nagaon and Hojai districts have reportedly recorded the highest number of allegations involving forged documents. A CID investigation into the matter is currently underway.

According to sources in ASSEB, the alleged fraud was carried out by exploiting loopholes in the state's online admission system. 

The Darpan portal, through which students apply for admission to HS first year in government and provincialised colleges, was reportedly misused by a section of applicants.

Under the online admission system, applicants are required to upload their Class X marksheets, pass certificates and other relevant documents while submitting applications and selecting their preferred colleges. 

The portal subsequently processes applications and determines eligibility based on academic performance and the admission criteria of the respective institutions.

However, applicants allegedly exploited loopholes in the system by uploading forged CISCE documents and securing admission to their preferred institutions. 

While most of the students reportedly enrolled in government and provincialised colleges, some also managed to obtain admission to private educational institutions. 

Sources said the entire process of submitting forged documents and securing admission was carried out through the online portal.

According to information unearthed by the School Education Department, 4,934 students allegedly secured admission to HS first year during the academic sessions 2025 -26 and 2026-27 using forged certificates purportedly issued by CISCE. 

Sources said this has forced the ASSEB to think of checking if similar frauds were committed in the previous academic years. 

The board had earlier received documents relating to 94 schools that were allegedly issuing or providing Class X pass certificates in the name of CISCE despite not being recognised by the council.

Investigators suspect that a well-organised racket may be operating behind the large-scale forgery, with possible involvement of certain school headmasters, principals and teachers. The investigation is expected to establish the identities of those involved and determine the full extent of the alleged fraud.

Since the certificates submitted were allegedly forged, investigators are also examining whether some of the students had actually appeared in the Class X examinations or had obtained admission without appearing in the examination at all. The exact details are expected to emerge as the investigation progresses.

CISCE is a privately managed national school education board with more than 3,000 affiliated institutions across the country. Assam, however, has only eight schools affiliated with the council.

Meanwhile, the Hojai district administrationhas initiated steps to ascertain the status of students allegedly admitted to HS first year using forged CISCE certificates.

The Hojai inspector of schools has directed the educational institutions concerned to submit a detailed action taken report (ATR) regarding the identified cases by November 16.

The institutions have been asked to furnish details on whether the identified students are still attending classes and, if so, how many remain enrolled. They have also been directed to provide information on whether FIRs have been registered against the students concerned, along with the names of the police stations, dates of registration and details of other action taken by the institutions.