- (1.) Karan Singh Maharana joined the Oriental Bank of Commerce as Manager (Financial Analyst), on the basis of possessing B.Sc (1989), M.Sc (1991) and MBA (1996) from Varanaseya Vishwavidyalaya. The bank conducted an inquiry into his educational qualifications and discovered that the said university was fake. Consequently, the services of the petitioner were terminated. The termination has been challenged by the petitioner through this writ petition.
(2.) As per learned counsel for the petitioner, the list of fake university relied upon by the bank was Annexure R4. This was a list as on August 17, 2005. The argument is that the name of the university in the fake list was contained in 2005 but the petitioner had qualified much earlier. The last examination passed by him from that university was in 1996. Therefore, if the name of the university was in fake list of 2005, it could not be said that it was fake at the time when the petitioner obtained the various degrees.
(3.) In letter dated 22.8.2005, Annexure R4, written by University Grants Commission to the Oriental Bank of Commerce, it has been specifically averred that, "the name of Varanaseya Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya which was a statutory university established by U.P. Act 1956 was changed to Sampurnananda Sanskrit Vishwavidyalaya w.e.f. 16th December, 1974. The degrees/ diplomas awarded by this Varanasi (sic) Sanksirt (sic) Vishwavidyalaya from 1956 to 1974 are only valid. Sampurananand Sanksirt (sic) Vishwavidyalaya, Varanasi is a statutory university established by an Act of State legislature and is competent to award its own degrees which are recognised by UGC and other agencies." The University Grants Commission also informed the bank that the university of which the petitioner was a student was a fake university and it was not competent to award its own degrees. The degrees awarded by this self-styled university were not recognised by University Grants Commission or any other agency for any purpose.;