DH News Service
HYDERABAD, June 25
The official in charge of co-ordinating the setting of the examination
question paper for the EAMCET 1996 reportedly sold the engineering paper for
Rs.1 lakh.The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) which is investigating
the leak of the paper at Tirupati, has confirmed that Prof Raja Rao, EAMCET
convenor and professor at Sri Venkateswara University, sold the paper to an
old student of his, whose daughter was appearing for the exam.According to
Mr H J Dora, additional director general of police (CID), who is
investigating the leakage, one Dayanand Babu and a friend who were students
of Prof Rao, had approached Prof Rao seeking help for Babu`s daughter who
was appearing for the EAMCET (Engineering, Agricultural and Medical Common
Entrance Exam).Prof Rao reportedly demanded Rs.1 lakh which they could not
raise. So the two friends approached another friend who in turn struck a
deal with Mr Konda Reddy, director of the Rayalaseema Coaching Centre of
Tirupati, to sell the question paper for Rs.1.5 lakh. On being paid, Prof
Rao reportedly gave the questions in two instalments. The police have
arrested Mr Konda Rao, director of the Rayalaseema Coaching Centre, apart
from questioning a string of teachers of the coaching centre and mathematics
lecturers of S V University.Prof Raja Rao has not been arrested since he
took ill while being interrogated and has been hospitalised. He is
reportedly a cardiac patient and suffers from high blood pressure. The CID
has categorically said that the leakage was confined to Tirupati and had not
spread to other educational centres as has been feared.
VICE CHANCELLOR MAY QUIT: Meanwhile, S V University Vice Chancellor Prof R
Ramamurthy is likely to resign owning moral responsibility for the leakage.
According to official sources, Prof Ramamurthy has been asked to go on
leave, but he is reported to be in favour of resigning. On the
recommendation of Prof Ramamurthy, who is the chairman of the EAMCET
committee, Prof Raja Rao who is related to the VC, was appointed as the
EAMCET convenor.In the meantime, the Andhra Pradesh High Court has rejected
the State Government`s plea to vacate the court`s earlier order on the
medical exam staying the publishing of the EAMCET results. The government`s
argument is that the medical exam results be published since all
investigations have shown that the leakage was regarding only the
engineering exam. The High Court has directed the AP State Council for
Higher Education to appoint a committee to examine certain issues which have
been raised regarding the medical exam, such as whether there were any
invalid questions, more than one answer for a question and for
out-of-syllabus questions.