That’s not all. The examination for Physics paper for first year students under the old scheme held on December 31 has been declared null and void. The reason again being question paper leak.

What’s happening? Students by and large feel this is only the tip of the iceberg and several cases of paper leak had gone unnoticed. “There have been times when we get a feeling that some of our friends have got to know the questions ahead of the examination. It is discouraging and disheartening”, said a student from an engineering college in Bangalore, who requested anon ymity. Why should we suffer for no fault of our, is their contention.

There is a pattern. The question papers that have leaked are those of what are considered tough subjects - that requiring mathematical reasoning and analytical skills.

During its initial years, VTU used to outsource the task of printing question papers. However, after the Mysore incident (see box) two years ago that VTU shifted the process of printing the question papers to a high-security press in its campus in Belgaum.

Given the nu mber of courses offered by VTU, conducting the examination is a mammoth ta sk. As VTU Registrar M S Shivakumar points out the varsity has to conduct exams for 600 papers per year, no less. There are 25 streams in BE and each stream has six papers. Examination are held for two semesters eve ry year and then there are supplementaries too. MTe ch has 60 streams and each branch has four papers.

Meanwhile, VTU Registrar (Evaluation) Dr K V A Balaji said that university was trying to identify the culprits involved in leaking the question paper. “We are trying to find the mode of leak. In the hi-tech age with communication modes like e-mail, SMS, it is difficult to pin-point the leak, but we are at it”, he said.

Colleges have been directed to return the question paper packets of the leaked papers back to the university, he said.

Setting/despatch of question papers
A Board of Examiners (BoE) comprising four to five senior professors suggest the names of the paper setters and submits it to the Registrar (Evaluation). The Registrar (Evaluation) in turn invites them to set the paper. Usually three to four sets of papers are prepared and sealed in separate covers. The Registrar (Evaluation) picks one cover at random and dispatches it to the printing press.

The printed question  papers are machine-sealed depending on the number of students appearing for the examination in different colleges.

Colleges receive the question paper bundles in installments. (Each installment will have questions papers for examinations scheduled to be held over the next two to three days).

The sealed covers need to be kept in a strong room in the college and opened in the presence of a deputy chief superintendent (person form outside the college deputed by the varsity) and the chief superintendent (the college principal).

Previous instances of paper leak
January 16, 2006: “Signals and Systems” paper of third semester electrical and electronics subject was found in circulation before the commencement of the examination. Following an inquiry by the VTU authorities, three persons working in a printing press in Mysore were found to have traded in the question paper and leaked it. They were handed over to the police.

January  25, 2006: Question paper ‘leak’ going hi-tech. First semester engineering students complain that a chain of SMSs containing questions in the Mathematics paper was in circulation. But VTU says its only rumours.
February 25, 2002:  I/II semesters Electrical Sciences examination paper leak 
February 27, 2002: II semester Engineering mathematics - paper- II leak