Anonymous letter claiming faculty ‘data manipulation’ sparks row at Hansraj College

A controversy has erupted at Delhi University’s Hansraj College as allegations of data manipulation in its National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) submission surfaced after the institution secured the 3rd position among colleges in the country.

College Principal Rama Sharma has dismissed the claims, calling them a ploy to “defame” the college. An anonymous letter dated November 28 and addressed to the chairman of the college’s governing body claims that an internal study uncovered “evident manipulation of faculty data”. According to the letter, the findings show “a substantial and unexplained increase of approximately 100 faculty members”, suggesting that non-existent teachers were allegedly added to secure the NIRF ranking.

Since the student-teacher ratio is a key NIRF metric, increasing the number of teachers would effectively yield higher scores. The letter also alleges that the submission included 20 non-existent employees, 50 ad hoc or guest teachers who were not serving in 2024-2025, and at least five retired teachers. The NIRF methodology states that student-teacher ratio calculations count only regular faculty members and may also include contractual faculty appointed for at least three years on salaries similar to permanent staff.

According to the letter, the college has been “fudging data” for three years. It notes that the college has a sanctioned strength of 219 posts, and claims that recent data submitted for the key university body polls reinforces this discrepancy. As per NIRF submissions, the college listed 311 faculty members in 2023, 334 in 2024, and 316 in 2025.

‘Attempt to defame college’

However, the Principal refuted all allegations. “This is an anonymous letter. Whoever has written it should come to us, look at the data, and tell us if they have a problem. It seems like an attempt to defame the college,” Ms. Sharma said. Noting that an 8-9-member committee prepared the NIRF submission, she asserted that the data “were submitted strictly in accordance with the norms and guidelines prescribed by NIRF”. “All required fields, documentary proofs, and quantitative indicators were furnished as per the relevant assessment year,” she added. The letter was sent to  Education Ministry officials. The college’s website highlights its third place in the ranking .