10 October,2026 11:27 AM IST | Mumbai | Aditi Alurkar
The revised process will also allow students to appeal against disciplinary decisions. Representational Pic
Ahead of its mid-semester examinations scheduled for October 10 and 11, IIT Bombay students have received revised examination guidelines that roll back penalties for malpractice to the 2015 version and introduce a structured process for handling suspected violations, according to an email shared by students with mid-day.
The email states that a committee comprising four students and four faculty members will revisit the examination guidelines, with a focus on a student-friendly approach. The committee will also consider multiple rounds of feedback before finalising the revised rules, students said.
Under the revised procedure, if a case of suspected malpractice is reported during the examinations, the invigilator will collect the relevant material and the student's original answer book. The student will be provided with a fresh answer book to complete the examination.
Faculty members will be required to record details of the incident in Form 01, while students may submit their version of events through an optional Form 02, according to the email.
The forms do not automatically establish that malpractice has occurred. Students will have an opportunity to explain their actions before a committee, which may impose a penalty if deliberate malpractice is established, the email states.
Gadgets found during the examination will be collected by invigilators and returned to students at the end of the exam, students said. The institute will also alert its Wellness Response Team to provide support to students involved in such cases.
According to the revised guidelines shared by students, suspected malpractice cases will be handled at two levels: the departmental-level Departmental Academic Disciplinary Action Committee (D-ADAC) and the institute-level Academic Disciplinary Action Committee (ADAC).
The D-ADAC will handle cases for which the maximum recommended penalty is a fail grade. Its recommendations will be forwarded to the Dean (AP), who may approve them and send them to the academic office or refer the matter to the institute-level committee for consideration. Decisions at the institute level will then be forwarded to the director, according to the email.
"An instructor cannot independently impose a malpractice penalty outside this process; ordinary academic evaluation remains separate as per the email," an IIT Bombay student told mid-day.
Students will be required to submit a written response to allegations. If the evidence remains unclear, they will receive the benefit of the doubt, according to the guidelines. The invigilator who files a complaint against a student will not be part of the committees examining the case.
The revised process will also allow students to appeal against disciplinary decisions. Appeals against departmental-level decisions will be referred to the institute-level committee, while appeals against institute-level decisions will be considered by an apex committee.
The guidelines also outline examination-day rules for students and invigilators. Teaching Assistant invigilators have been instructed to report suspected unauthorised activities to the faculty invigilator. Only one student will be permitted to leave for a bio break at a time, students said.
Students who are not appearing for an examination will not be allowed inside the examination building during exam hours. Those taking the exams have been instructed to carry only essential items, with bags, notes, loose papers and books prohibited inside the building.
Mobile phones, smartwatches, laptops and other electronic devices are also prohibited inside the examination area or must be left at a designated location. Students may be checked for possession of prohibited items, according to the email shared with mid-day.
The revised guidelines come ahead of the October 10-11 mid-semester examinations, with the institute set to review student and faculty feedback before issuing the final examination rules.
This is a developing story, and all the updates are yet to be confirmed by IIT Bombay.
