A Delhi University teacher has been accused of plagiarising substantial portions of a colleague's PhD thesis, with a plagiarism detection software showing a 38% similarity. The complainant, Kumar Ram Krishna, a professor at DU's College of Vocational Studies, obtained his PhD in 2006 for his thesis on internal trade in eastern Rajasthan. He discovered last year that his research appeared in another scholar's doctorate awarded in 2014 under the same supervisor.
Plagiarism Allegations and Committee Probe
Krishna lodged a complaint with the university, leading the Department of History to form a departmental academic integrity panel as per UGC guidelines. The panel sought records from the dean of social sciences and the university librarian. The accused teacher denied the allegations, calling them harassment and intimidation.
Similarity Report Details
According to the complaint, a Turnitin similarity report indicated that 38% of Krishna's thesis text appears in the second thesis, excluding footnotes and appendices, without any citation. Krishna's thesis is not available online, while the accused's thesis is digitised and accessible.
Digitisation Gaps Exposed
The case highlights the lack of digitisation of older theses. University librarian Rajesh Singh said soft copies of research work have been received only from 2015-16 onwards, leaving pre-2015 research vulnerable to copying. Krishna argued this undermines academic integrity and is unjust to earlier scholars.
UGC Anti-Plagiarism Regulations
The degree under scrutiny was awarded in 2014, before UGC's anti-plagiarism norms came into effect in 2018. Under current rules, similarity of 10% to 40% requires revision within six months, while over 60% can lead to cancellation of registration.
Krishna has written to DU Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh seeking action. The university has not yet responded on the committee's findings.
