The CEO and founder of edtech business BYJU'S has been charged with criminal conspiracy for allegedly putting "misleading" information in their UPSC curriculum, according to Mumbai Police.
An FIR has been filed against BYJU'S owner Raveendran under section 120 (B) of the Indian Penal Code and section 69 (A) of the Information Technology Act at Aarey Colony police station. Snehil Dhall, a criminologist and the founder of Crimeophobia, a scientific firm, has filed the FIR.
According to the FIR, BYJU'S mentioned in its UPSC curriculum that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is a "nodal agency" for the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organised Crime (UNTOC). However, according to the complaint, the CBI has already confirmed in writing that they are not the UNTOC's nodal agency.
When this information was uncovered, Dhall claims it was immediately reported to BYJU's, and an email was sent to them requesting them to rectify the information. In response, Dhal received a letter from the Ministry of Home Affairs stating that CBI is a UNTOC nodal agency. However, that letter was sent in 2012, and Dhal was dissatisfied with the response, so he filed a police report.
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“In May, I noticed misquoting UNTOC (India) implementation information on BYJU'S UPSC curriculum, therefore I contacted them through email and requested that they make the required modifications. They provided me with a document from the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding CBI being the nodal agency, but it was from 2012, and it was dated. As a result, I was dissatisfied and went to the police,” said Snehil Dhall.
Dhall also filed a criminal writ petition in the Supreme Court against the Union of India and 45 departments for failing to implement UNTOC across the country.
There is currently no update or official statement from BYJU's on this matter. However, the owner's name was included in the FIR.