MUMBAI, May 11: The students and management of St Andrew's College of Arts, Science and Commerce, Bandra, are at loggerheads over a recent case of professor-assisted mass copying during an examination at the college.

While the college principal has declared that the college is strictly abiding by university norms in booking the guilty, the students concerned claim the college is harassing them by withholding their exam results.

Express Newsline had carried a report on how an entire batch of 30 SYBA students of St Andrew's had to appear for a re-examination on April 11 after they were caught copying red-handed with the open consent of the supervising professor.

During the fag end of the Psychology-111 paper on March 29 this year, some students had pleaded with the accused professor to allow them to copy. The professor, recently voted by students as the most popular professor in college, gave them the go-ahead. However, on receiving a tip-off, two lady supervisors caught three female students openly copying out of text books.

``We now feel that the college is unduly pressurising us to testify in writing against this professor (name withheld), failing which our results subsequent admissions will be further delayed'' alleged one of the affected students. Principal Augustine Mascarenhes said ``It is false that the Unfair Means Committee (appointed by the college) is forcing students to write against the professor. We only need the definitive statement of the students to carry out proper investigations into the matter.''

``The students will be given their final results on Monday, May 12 and admission formalities will be completed by June 2. But this will take place only after the committee completes its report,'' he added.

However, the students maintain ``They are making a mountain out of a molehill. We were promised our results on May 6, but that did not happen. Instead, we were made to sit in a class with the five committee teachers questioning us from 9 am to 11 30 am.'' They warned that some of their parents could go to court if this continued further. The students feel that the matter is over, now that the re-examination has taken place on April 11.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.