Mumbai University expert panel says very little duplication found in Senate voter list

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Mumbai University's expert panel has submitted its findings over the complaints of discrepancies and duplications in the Senate voter list. The buzz in the campus is that the three member probe committee's report has found very few cases of duplication as against the claims made by BJP MLA Ashish Shelar.

The committee was established in response to a complaint filed by Shelar, who alleged 750 duplicate entries in the Senate voter list at MU. Following Shelar's complaint, the Senate elections were postponed indefinitely. The matter is currently being heard in the Bombay High Court, wherein MU was directed to submit the report and a revised program / schedule for Senate Elections on October 25. MU officials declined to comment on the issue citing the matter is in court. However, campus sources said the committee has submitted the report to the University.

According to Mumbai University (MU), the probe committee identified approximately 400 such instances of likely duplicate names. However, after a comprehensive investigation that involved cross-referencing documents such as aadhar cards, degree certificates, and graduation dates and years, it was revealed that these names were not duplicates but belonged to different individuals with similar names. "The actual double entries were already struck out of the list and the matter has been addressed. There were very few names. The committee has submitted the report," said an official on the condition of anonymity.

What happened

The Maharashtra government on October 8 informed the Bombay High Court that the suspension of the Mumbai University Senate elections was done "in the interest of justice."

The higher and technical education department of the government filed an affidavit in response to a petition filed by advocate Sagar Devre, who alleged the university's decision to postpone the Senate elections in September was influenced by "political pressure".

Devre demanded annulment of the circular issued by the Mumbai University on August 17, which deferred the elections originally scheduled for September 10. The Mumbai University has maintained that the decision to defer the elections was in accordance with statutory instructions of the state.

Meanwhile Shelar has now called for an investigation by the IT Department and ED in the matter.

Former Senate member and Yuva Sena member Pradeep Sawant said, "This should be a huge setback for Shelar, as his allegations and grand assertions have crumbled in the face of the committee's findings. With his claims already dismissed by the committee, it appears that the path for Senate elections is now cleared. However, we are disheartened by the actions of the MU administration."