Mumbai University (MU) has imposed a hefty financial penalty on the contractor who printed a glaring spelling mistake in the newly released convocation certificates for the batch of 2023-24. "Mumbai" was misspelt as "Mumabai" in the top portion of the university's official logo on the certificates.
After conducting an internal probe, the Management Council (MC) of the university decided to impose a fine upon the contractor, either 20% of the contract value or ₹10 lakh, whichever is greater. The decision was made in one of the recent MC meetings after a committee had presented its report on the matter, according to the media reports.
The mistake, which surfaced in January 2024, not long after the convocation ceremony on January 7, has led to a recall by the university of the defective certificates. Corrected versions are being reissued to students by affiliated colleges.
However, the decision to penalise only the contractor has triggered criticism from within the university’s governance body. Sheetal Devrukhkar-Sheth, a Yuva Sena representative and MC member, questioned the absence of accountability among university officials.
The university authorities put the number of affected certificates at around 1,000. However, Yuva Sena leaders claim that the number is much higher, alleging more than one lakh certificates have been printed with the mistake and a large number have already been issued to students, according to the Indian Express report.
While some colleges brought back the defective certificates after discovering the error, others had already distributed them during institute-level functions or through administrative issuance.
The Yuva Sena has demanded for a high-level investigation into the incident, along with action against any university officials involved and blacklisting of the contractor. The Mumbai University administration has so far not made an official statement on the demands or clarity regarding internal accountability.
