MUMBAI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has reverted to its 2015 rule-book on academic malpractices, to put on course the postponed mid-semester exam which was supposed to be held on September 19 and 20, following a senate meeting on Friday.
The earlier schedule was set aside after a 20-year-old BTech student died by suicide on campus on September 18. The student was purportedly driven to take the extreme step after being caught using a smartphone and ChatGPT during an exam, following which he was asked to leave the hall.
Soon after, the institute considered putting in force the stringent July 2026 rule — to suspend a student for a semester if caught copying. On Friday, the senate put the decision on hold for the October 10 and 11 examination, following which the institute shared a link to the 2015 guidelines with students in an email containing instructions for the examinations.
According to the 2015 rule, an invigilator who catches a student copying can take away the written material and record the incident using photography, but will let the student complete the paper in a fresh answer booklet. A report would then be sent to the head of the department, and the Departmental Academic Disciplinary Action Committee (DA-DAC).
Dos and don’ts
In the email, which HT has seen, the institute has directed students and invigilating teaching assistants (TAs) to follow examination procedures, including reporting early, keeping electronic devices and bags outside examination buildings, and cooperating with checks for unauthorised material.
The email directs students to reach their examination classrooms 30 minutes before the start of the paper and occupy their allotted seats at least 10 minutes before the examination begins. Entry will be closed 30 minutes after the examination starts.
Students have been asked to carry their original identity cards, essential stationery and a water bottle, if required. Bags, books, notes and papers will not be allowed inside examination buildings, except authorised material for open-book examinations. Mobile phones, smartwatches, laptops, headphones, earphones and other electronic devices must also be left outside or in their hostel rooms. Students may also be checked for unauthorised material, while possessing answer sheets outside the examination hall will be treated as an unauthorised act.
The email also details punishment guidelines for handling academic malpractice, according to the 2015 rules.
Students protesting at the Justice Corner at IIT-B’s main gate issued a statement on the development. It read: “Same rule, new spin, the institute does not need new rules to answer for the September 18 incident. It needs to answer whether it followed the old ones. We demand an independent inquiry.”
Meanwhile, at the meeting, senate members also discussed the institute’s examination malpractice policy after the student’s death. The administration had appointed an eight-member committee to review the rules amid concerns over the punishment system and the handling of suspected malpractice cases. The committee is expected to submit its final report soon.
