Bengaluru: The Karnataka Collegiate Education Department has ordered the registration of criminal cases against 249 guest lecturers who allegedly secured appointments in government first-grade colleges during the 2025–26 academic year by submitting fake or invalid PhD certificates. The department has also permanently blacklisted the candidates, barring them from future recruitment as guest faculty in government colleges.

The action comes as the department conducts the recruitment process for guest lecturers for the 2026–27 academic year, with officials tightening verification procedures to ensure only eligible candidates are appointed.

Fake certificates detected during verification

According to the Collegiate Education Department, around 10,000 guest faculty members were recruited for government first-grade colleges in 2025–26 through an online counselling process based on the workload requirements of colleges and the information furnished by applicants.

Following the recruitment, principals of the respective colleges were directed to verify the authenticity of educational and eligibility documents submitted by selected candidates. The verification covered postgraduate marks cards, National Eligibility Test (NET), Karnataka State Eligibility Test (K-SET), PhD, MPhil and Kalyana Karnataka certificates.

The verification exercise was carried out as a one-time mandatory process under a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the department.

College committees conducted scrutiny

As per the SOP, college-level committees headed by principals examined the documents submitted by guest lecturers. Whenever certificates were suspected to be fake or invalid, the committees were instructed to relieve the concerned guest lecturers from service and upload the findings on the department’s Education Management Information System (EMIS) portal.

Candidates who disagreed with the committee’s decision were given an opportunity to raise objections. Such cases were forwarded to the department’s head office along with supporting documents for a detailed review.

Senior officials at the department’s headquarters subsequently re-examined the disputed cases before arriving at the final decision.

249 lecturers dismissed and blacklisted

Following multiple rounds of verification, the department concluded that 249 guest lecturers had produced fake or invalid PhD certificates to obtain appointments.

The department has terminated the services of all the affected lecturers and permanently blacklisted them from future guest faculty recruitment in government first-grade colleges across Karnataka.

Officials said the decision was taken to maintain transparency and uphold academic standards in higher education institutions.

Criminal cases to be registered

The Collegiate Education Department has also directed authorities to initiate criminal proceedings against all 249 individuals.

According to the department, submitting forged or invalid academic certificates to secure government employment amounts to fraud and misrepresentation.

Officials stated that criminal cases will be registered under the relevant legal provisions for furnishing false information and forged documents to obtain public employment.

The move is intended to ensure accountability and deter similar fraudulent practices in future recruitment exercises.

Recruitment for 2026–27 continues

Meanwhile, the recruitment process for guest lecturers for the 2026–27 academic year is currently underway.

The department has clarified that all candidates found guilty of submitting fake certificates have been excluded from the ongoing recruitment process and will remain ineligible for future appointments.

Officials said the stringent verification mechanism introduced through the SOP will continue to be implemented to prevent fraudulent appointments and ensure that only qualified candidates are selected for teaching positions in government colleges.

Department stresses transparency

The Collegiate Education Department said the large-scale verification exercise reflects its commitment to maintaining integrity in higher education recruitment.

Officials noted that educational qualifications form the foundation of faculty appointments and that strict scrutiny is essential to safeguard the quality of education in government institutions.

The department added that legal action against those who secured employment through fraudulent means would reinforce public confidence in the recruitment process and discourage similar violations in the future.