Rules and Regulations for award of Punishment/penalty in cases of Examination
(Theory/ Non Theory) -Misconduct/UFM (Unfair Means)/Malpractices
Unfair means/misconduct/malpractice rules and regulations are governed by the SRM University, First Ordinances.
Misconduct/UFM (Unfair Means) /Malpractices (Theory/ Non Theory):
A student indulging in any of the following acts in the examination hall will be considered as Misconduct in the examination and booked for the same.
- Student flagrantly violating orders from the Exam Superintendent (ES), Invigilator (s), Flying Squad, or any other university-appointed personnel conducting the exam.
- The student acting objectionably or violently towards the invigilator, exam superintendent, other staff members, or other candidates.
- Making threats or using violence, causing commotion within or outside the exam room, blocking other candidates from entering, acting inappropriately around the any other university-appointed personnel conducting the exam etc.
- The student introduces weapons or dangerous materials into the examination area or room without authorization.
- Any behaviour on the part of students that prevents personnel from performing their duties
A student necessarily need not be involved in cheating to be viewed as a case of UFM/Malpractices. Intentional act or even unintentional mistake of noncompliance of instructions/guidelines for the examination will be considered as UFM/Malpractices.
A candidate will be reported for examination malpractice(s) if they engage in any of the following in the examination hall/ examination room:
- Possession of printed/ photocopy / manuscripts pertaining/ not pertaining to the day’s examination, or in the form of book, pages of a book or loose sheets, or any other matter not permissible to be brought into the examination hall/examination room.
- Possession of tables, hand books, code books etc. which are not permitted for the day’s examination.
- Possession of programmable calculators, mobile phones, smart watches/Bluetooth or Wi-Fi enabled devices, pagers, organizers, digital memory pad etc. with/ without matters related to the day’s examination stored in them.
- Possessing any other prohibited material that may be of help in writing answers or facilitate copying in the examination hall.
- Writing any matter, formula, definitions, sketches in any part of the candidate’s body, dress, handkerchief, instrument box, calculator cover, wall, table, drawing board, Question paper, hall ticket etc. which may have relevance to the syllabus of the examination-paper concerned.
- To exchange with nearby students any hall tickets, question papers, scales, calculators, instrument boxes, etc. that have any formulas, answers, sketches, or hints relating to the day's exam written on them.
- Showing the answer-sheet/question paper to the neighbours/nearby students or allowing them to copy.
- Giving/ Receiving the main answer-booklet or other information carrying material to/ from neighbour/ nearby student for copying.
- Copying from any printed or hand-written material or answer-booklet of another student.
- Writing any appeal to the examiner offering money or any irrelevant matters in the answer script, insertion of currency notes in answer script and giving contact address, telephone numbers etc.
- Writing the register number anywhere in the answer-booklet other than in the fly slip of the front page
- Revealing one's identity in any way in the response that was provided or in another area of the answer sheet by the student.
- Writing the examination without valid hall ticket or obtaining admission to
the examination room on a false representation.
- Striking off all the pages including the correct answers written by him/ her
in the answer-booklet, when being caught for any act of malpractice.
- Inserting pre-written additional sheet(s) having matters related to the
subject of the day’s examination into the main answer-sheet.
- Replacing the answer-sheet supplied in the hall by pre-prepared answer-
sheet brought by the candidate himself/ herself or got from external sources.
- Impersonation is when a studentarranges another person to take the examination on their behalf or tries to take the test in someone else's place.
- Taking away with him/her the Answer sheet, without handing over the
same to theInvigilator or trying to take away or damage another candidate’s answer-sheet/ script.
- Any other similar act(s) of commission and/ or omission(s) which may be
considered as malpractice by the competent authority.
Actions by the Invigilator/Flying squad/other university-appointed personnel conducting the exam on detecting misconduct/UFM/Malpractice cases case (Theory):
- As soon as a student is suspected by the invigilator or member of the flying squad or any other authorised person of having resorted to unfair means, he/she shall immediately take possession of the answer book along with the relevant material found with the student. The papers, notes, books, electronic devices or any other prohibited material found in possession of the student shall be dulysigned by the student and the invigilator, sealed and attached with the seized answer-book in presence of the student.
- If the student is found to have written something on the body part or anywhere else, a photo of same may be taken on the available camera/mobile-phone-camera etc.
In case student indulge in UFM/malpractice case other than possession of unauthorized material like talking to fellow student, attempting to copy form fellow student, allowing fellow student to copy, discussing answer with fellow student or any other person outside the hall etc., the nature of offence must be duly recorded by the invigilator.
- The invigilator will get the prescribed form for unfair means filled and signed by the student and give his/ her comments on the same, in prescribed place. In case, the UM case is detected by member of the flying squad or any other authorized person, the duly signed comments of the said official will also be obtained by the invigilator on the prescribed form.
- After completing all the above formalities, the confiscated answer book will be marked as I and a fresh answer-book shall be given to the student for completing the examination. The freshly issued answer book/answer sheet will be marked as II.
- If the student does not hand over the relevant material and/or refuses to fill up and sign the prescribed form/documents, the same shall be recorded on the prescribed form by the invigilator. In this case, co-invigilator may sign as a witness to the event.
- No extra time will be given for completing the examination as a result of this procedure.
- The confiscated material found in the student's possession is duly signed by the student and the invigilator and given to the exam superintendent in a sealed envelope.
Actions by the Invigilator/Flying squad/other university-appointed personnel conducting the exam on detecting misconduct/UFM/Malpractice cases case (Non-Theory):
- The invigilator will get the prescribed form for unfair means filled and signed by the student and give his/ her comments on the same, in prescribed place. In case, the UM case is detected by member of the flying squad or any other authorized person, the duly signed comments of the said official will also be obtained by the invigilator on the prescribed form.
- The experiment will be changed immediately by the examiner after a case of unfairness or malpractice is reported, and a separate sheet will be provided to the student.
- No extra time will be given for completing the examination as a result of this procedure.
- The confiscated material found in the student's possession is duly signed by the student and the invigilator and submitted to the exam department in a sealed envelope.
Type of Punishment and/or Penalty (Theory/ Non Theory)
if the candidate is found guilty, he/she may be awarded one or more punishment(s) and/or penalty based on the approved/ appointed committee’s assessment on the nature andseverity of the misconduct/unfair means/malpractice.
- Cancellation of that specific Subject/ Paper only of the current examination of the
candidate.
- All the examination for that semester to be cancelled
- Student shall be disqualified from appearing at any examination for a period of one
year (two semesters) including the present examination depending on the severity of offence.
- The answer to the running question will be unevaluated.
- Warning should be issue to the concern student.
- In the case of impersonation by a student for both the students involved, all the theory examinations for the semester to be cancelled
- The student shall be disqualified from appearing/ passing in any university
examination for up to two academic years including thepresent one depending upon the nature andgravity of the offence of misconduct(refer misconduct type iv).
Subsequent Process:
Parents of the students shall be informed about the incident by the
Exam Superintendent/Examination Branch.
Written statement (UFM Form) from the candidate and materials seized from the student (if any), and other evidence shall be placed before a standing committee for monitoring malpractice/unfair means and taking action on any incidents reported. The standing Committee/approved committee shall consider the report of the person detecting the unfair means during the examination and shall provide opportunity to the candidate for due explanation and shall also consider the other circumstantial and/or oral evidences for arriving at a logical conclusion regarding further necessary action by the competent authority.
