How The Law Caught Up With Karnataka Law College Vice Principal, 2 Others Involved In Paper Leak – News18

Last Updated:February 18, 2025, 13:49 IST

A major law exam paper leak in Karnataka led to the arrest of three – the vice-principal of Basavashree College of Law, his driver, and a student. They allegedly sold the question paper on WhatsApp and Telegram for monetary gain.

When those learning about the law turn law breakers, the law also catches up with them. This is what happened when a major law exam paper leak in Karnataka was reported. After systematic investigation, the three accused including the vice-principal of the Basavashree College of Law in Kolar, his driver, and a student have been arrested.

They allegedly sold the question paper on WhatsApp and Telegram for monetary gain, but it is that extensive effort that caught them in the police net. However, this breach has raised serious concerns about the security of examination processes at Karnataka State Law University (KSLU).

“We found that the question paper was leaked through WhatsApp and Telegram groups, with some individuals profiting from the leak. The vigilance officials had reported it to the police on January 23 that the paper on contract law was leaked.

The cybercrime police traced three accused who were linked to the crime and arrested them,” said Bengaluru Police Commissioner B Dayananda. “The investigation is ongoing to determine whether more people were involved in this operation,” he added.

How the Leak Was Traced

The leak first came to light when vigilance squad member Ravindra Rajput found identical questions of an actual paper that was circulating on social media. He immediately informed KSLU vigilance squad member Vishwanatha KN, who verified the match. He then alerted the cybercrime police, leading to a full-fledged probe after he filed a complaint.

During the investigation, the police tracked the source of the leaked questions to specific Telegram groups where handwritten question papers were being shared.

The complaint followed the leak of the Contract Law-1 paper, which surfaced online before the exam on January 23. Investigators discovered that the vice-principal’s driver, who was also a law student, had accessed the paper from his employer’s mobile phone with his knowledge. He then forwarded the document to another student who turned accomplice and jointly planned to circulate it through telegram and WhatsApp in exchange for money.

KSLU Registrar (Evaluation) Ratna R Bharamgoudar told the media that they were alerted after they too noticed some unusual activity on student Telegram and WhatsApp groups before the exam. She also said that several posts in these groups claiming access to exam papers where phone numbers were shared with messages claiming question papers can be accessed in exchange for a price were noticed. The KSLU officials also intimated the police and the leads from the various groups helped trace the accused.

The KSLU registrar also told the police that two faculty members whose numbers were being circulated without their knowledge had approached her and were receiving incessant calls from students asking to buy the paper. This, too, was intimated to the investigating team.

Tracing the calls and tracking the various WhatsApp and Telegram groups gave the case investigators enough digital evidence linking the driver and the student to the leaked document, leading to the arrest of the trio.

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Bangalore, India, India