Ernakulam: The Ernakulam central police here on Wednesday slapped non-bailable charges against former SFI leader K Vidya, a teacher by profession for forging a teaching experience certificate of Maharaja's College. The action was taken after registering a case over the college principal's complaint on Tuesday.

If found guilty, Vidya is likely to face imprisonment of seven years, reported Manorama News.

The fraud was exposed when Vidya produced the fake certificate for an interview for guest lecturers in Malayalam at Government College, Attappady, on June 2. Members of the interview panel grew suspicious of the logo and seal of the college on the certificate and contacted the management.

Vidya’s certificate claimed that she had worked as a guest lecturer at Maharaja’s College during 2018-19 and 2020-21. However, college authorities told the interview panel that no guest lecturer was appointed in the Malayalam department of Maharaja’s in the past 10 years.

Soon, a meeting of the college council at Maharaja’s was convened and a police complaint was filed.

No certificate issued, says principal
The principal of the college told the media that it was on Monday that a teacher from the Government College in Wayanad got in touch with them about a candidate who had appeared for the post of guest lecturer in Malayalam.

"Her certificate showed that she was teaching as a guest lecturer here during 2018-19 and 2020-21. On perusal of our records it was found out that this college had not sought the services of any guest lecturer in the Malayalam department in the past one decade," said the principal.

"The certificate of experience carried the signature of the principal/head of department. No certificates are issued by the head of departments in this college. The seal and the emblem are all fake. After doing all this we registered a complaint against Vidya with the local police," added the principal.

Links with SFI 
Meanwhile, the Congress-backed student organisation, KSU, has begun a protest alleging that SFI, the pro-CPM student organisation, SFI, was behind this fake certificate racket.

Incidentally, Vidya, who belongs to Trikaripur in Kasaragod district, has worked as a guest lecturer in two colleges in Kasaragod and Palakkad. At Karinthalam Govt Arts and Science College, Kasaragod, she was appointed as a guest lecturer from June 2022 to March 2023.

According to sources, Vidya received help from P M Arsho, the state secretary of SFI, in forging the certificate and securing the appointments. Vidya was a student of MA (Malayalam) at Maharaja’s College from 2016 to 2018. At the time, she was elected PG representative.

KSU state president P Mohammed Shammas alleged that Arsho had helped Vidya illegally gain admission for PhD at Sanskrit University, Kalady, as well.