Lifetime Ban Imposed on Professor for Alleged Exam Paper Leak in Uttarakhand

Uttarakhand University Takes Action Against Professor

Dehradun, July 27 - The Veer Madho Singh Bhandari Uttarakhand Technical University (UTU) has imposed a lifetime ban on Dr. Ashish Kumar Gupta, an assistant professor from a private engineering college, following allegations of leaking semester exam papers. According to the university, Dr. Gupta has been barred from all academic activities, including teaching, preparing question papers, and any educational responsibilities, effective immediately due to his involvement in the 2025-26 semester exam paper leak case.

Previously, Dr. Gupta had already been suspended from all examination-related duties for the next seven years, and a police complaint was filed against him, leading to his arrest.

Shivalik College of Engineering in Dehradun has also taken strict measures by terminating Dr. Gupta's employment. The state's Higher Education Minister, Dhan Singh Rawat, stated that the government is treating the alleged paper leak incident with utmost seriousness and will not tolerate any actions that jeopardize students' interests. He emphasized that anyone found guilty, regardless of their position, will face consequences.

Following a high-level investigation, UTU confirmed the allegations of the paper leak and canceled the exams for two engineering subjects—Machine Learning for Internet of Things and Electromagnetic Field Theory. The re-examinations are scheduled for the third week of August. It is alleged that Dr. Gupta prepared the question paper for the Machine Learning subject as an external paper setter and reportedly shared the questions with some students via WhatsApp and an internal portal. The investigation committee also recommended canceling the Electromagnetic Field Theory paper due to similar discrepancies and concerns over confidentiality breaches.