In August 2025, Prof. Rajeev Kumar, a respected Computer Science & Engineering scholar from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and former whistleblower at IIT Kharagpur, filed a bombshell petition in the Delhi High Court. His grievance? His PhD student allegedly stole unpublished research on machine learning, generalization, and multimodality and sold it to an international paper mill network with ties to Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The betrayal, involving three co-authored papers submitted to a Springer journal between 2021 and 2023, surfaced in the IEEE Transactions on Computing Social Systems, credited to his student and seven other “prolific paper mill authors” without Kumar’s consent.
Key Points:
- Prof. Kumar claims full conceptualization and design of the research, with his student only implementing under supervision.
- Evidence includes emails and WhatsApp messages where three co-authors admitted misconduct.
- The IEEE paper remains unretracted despite promises from editors, prompting Kumar’s call for a technical expert probe.
“The research was entirely mine. At no point were there other authors or collaborators,” Prof. Kumar stated in his plea.
The Shadow Market: Paper Mills and Authorship for Sale
The case shines a harsh light on paper mills, shadowy agencies that churn out fabricated or recycled research for a price, selling authorship slots to boost resumes without genuine contribution. In India, these mills exploit the pressure to publish, fueled by NAAC (12–25% research weightage) and NIRF (15–30% research focus) rankings. A 2022 study by COPE and STM found 2–46% of journal submissions bear signs of fraud, with retractions soaring from 10 in 2019 to 2,099 in 2023. Agencies in Tamil Nadu and beyond advertise services from ₹5,500 for authorship to ₹84,250 for full manuscript packages, complete with citation boosts.
Key Points:
- Paper mills offer manuscript writing, journal submission, and citation services for fees as low as ₹1,500 for 100 Google Scholar citations.
- Operations span India, China, Russia, and Iran, exploiting weak global regulations.
- United2Act, launched in 2023 by COPE and STM, aims to combat this threat to scholarly integrity.
“Paper mills exploit young researchers, recycling data into polished manuscripts that evade detection,” warns Prof. Yusuf Akhter, Editor-in-Chief at Springer Nature.
A Systemic Crisis: Pressure to Publish Fuels Fraud
The rise of paper mills stems from academia’s obsession with publication metrics. Faculty face relentless pressure from UGC regulations tying promotions to research output, leaving little room for teaching or lab work. Prof. BR Natarajan of Banasthali University notes that stalled promotions and lost goodwill push scholars toward shortcuts. Meanwhile, lax enforcement of plagiarism rules and outdated authorship guidelines enable “gift authorship” and “paid supervision.” Prof. Kumar’s plea urges reforms to the 2018 UGC rules to address these gaps, spotlighting JNU’s alleged inaction despite confessions from the accused.
Key Points:
- JNU reassigned Kumar’s students to an uninvolved faculty post-thesis, allegedly shielding misconduct.
- Kumar seeks amendments to tackle “gift supervision” and “multi-affiliations” in UGC policies.
- Ethical consultancies are fine, but data fudging and authorship sales erode credibility.
Delhi High Court Steps In: A Fight for Justice
The Delhi High Court issued notices to JNU, the Union Education Ministry, and UGC on August 13, 2025, signaling serious scrutiny. Kumar alleges his 40-year research legacy was “unlawfully gifted or sold” to uninvolved academics, including four Indians, one American, and three Middle Eastern co-authors. Despite confessions and retraction requests, the IEEE paper’s persistence underscores enforcement challenges. The court’s next hearing on December 1, 2025, could set a precedent for tackling research theft and paper mill fraud.
Key Points:
- Court notices issued to probe allegations of research misappropriation.
- Kumar demands a technical committee to investigate the IEEE paper’s origins.
- Case highlights need for stronger oversight in academic publishing.
“PhD research demands expertise and ethics, not tradable commodities,” Kumar told the court.
The Bigger Picture: Saving Academic Integrity
The shadow market of science threatens not just individual scholars but the global scholarly record. India’s role in this crisis is stark, with agencies openly advertising on WhatsApp and promising Scopus-indexed publications. The Delhi High Court’s concurrent ban on shadow libraries like Sci-Hub and LibGen (August 23, 2025) reflects a broader clampdown on academic piracy, though it complicates access for underfunded researchers. Prof. Kumar’s battle underscores the urgent need for ethical reforms, from stricter journal screening to updated UGC norms, to restore trust in academia.
Key Points:
- Sci-Hub ban limits access to paywalled journals, pushing some toward paper mills.
- Global retractions highlight the scale of fraud; Hindawi and Wiley pulled 1,200 papers in 2023.
- Solutions include mandatory ethics training and cross-border regulatory cooperation.
A Call to Action: Protect the Soul of Scholarship
Prof. Rajeev Kumar’s fight is a rallying cry for researchers, institutions, and policymakers. Aspiring scholars must prioritize ethics over shortcuts, while universities like JNU must enforce accountability. Stay informed on the December 1 hearing, advocate for robust anti-plagiarism laws, and support initiatives like United2Act to dismantle paper mills. Together, we can rebuild academia as a bastion of trust, not a marketplace for stolen ideas.
Key Points:
- Follow the Delhi High Court case for updates on research theft accountability.
- Push for UGC reforms to close loopholes in authorship and supervision.
- Champion ethical publishing to safeguard India’s academic reputation.
