The West Bengal Higher Education Department is set to roll out an AI-powered verification system across its centralised undergraduate (UG) admission portal, aiming to eliminate fake applications and streamline merit list generation.
The decision follows the success of last year’s pilot, during which the AI tool effectively flagged and blocked fraudulent applications. For the 2025 cycle, the upgraded system will automatically verify ID proofs, mobile numbers, names, and photographs submitted by candidates, identifying discrepancies or mismatches before applications progress to the merit stage.
Addressing past misuse and embarrassment
This move comes in response to repeated public embarrassments over the past few years, where fake applicants used names of celebrities like Sunny Leone, Lionel Messi, and Cristiano Ronaldo to prank the admission process. In 2020, Bollywood actress Sunny Leone was even listed as the top-ranking candidate for a BA (Honours) English course at Asutosh College, prompting criticism of the manual vetting system.
Also read: Indian Firms Lack Clarity on GenAI Usage: Report
Officials say that the AI module now tracks inconsistencies between profile data and uploaded documents. It is capable of detecting duplicated entries, facial mismatches, and identifying cyber cafés or locations responsible for mass fraudulent submissions — many of which were traced during last year’s pilot.
Improved experience for colleges and applicants
According to a senior official at Bikash Bhavan, the number of complaints regarding fake admissions dropped significantly last year. With face recognition and suspicious pattern tracking now added, this year’s results are expected to be even more accurate.
College administrators have welcomed the move. New Alipore College principal Jaydeep Sarangi noted that the AI system has made application handling more efficient. “Earlier, identifying fake applications was a huge challenge. Now, it is being handled efficiently by the centralised system,” he said.
In 2024, over 50 lakh applications were processed from around 4 lakh candidates during the first phase of UG admissions, underscoring the scale and importance of deploying advanced technology to ensure integrity in the process.
