Lucknow: The arrested assistant professor of Lucknow University, accused in an alleged paper leak and harassment case involving a BSc student, has claimed that he never leaked any examination paper. Instead, he stated that he only offered to provide the student with important questions from the question bank.
Police Investigation Nears Completion
A senior police officer associated with the probe said that the police are now in the final stages of preparing the chargesheet, which is likely to be filed before the court soon. The officer stated, "The accused has claimed that he was only trying to help the student by sharing important questions from the question bank and denied leaking any paper. During investigation, no physical question paper or leaked document has been recovered from him till now."
Police said that the accused, who has been sent to judicial custody and lodged in Lucknow district jail, maintained in his statement that he did not possess or circulate any actual question paper.
Legal Grounds for Chargesheet
However, another officer added that the assistant professor's confession that he was only giving questions from the bank is sufficient under the sections of 11 and 13(5) of the Uttar Pradesh Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, for filing of the chargesheet. The accused was arrested under section 74 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to outraging the modesty of a woman, along with sections 11 and 13(5) of the Uttar Pradesh Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
Forensic Examination Underway
Police had also seized his laptop and mobile phone and sent them for forensic examination to verify digital chats, call records, alleged audio clips, and other electronic evidence. Investigators are also expected to seek court permission to obtain the accused's voice samples for matching with purported audio recordings that surfaced during the inquiry.
Student's Statement Pending
Meanwhile, the student's statement before a magistrate is yet to be recorded as she had reportedly sought additional time citing health-related concerns and uneasiness, police said.
