The High Court has formed a seven-member committee to draft a policy that would prevent PhD thesis fraud in public and private universities in Bangladesh.
A High Court bench comprising Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Razik-Al-Jalil asked the committee to submit the draft within the next three months.
Earlier on February 4, 2020, the High Court had ordered an inquiry into how PhD and equivalent degrees are approved in universities.
The court also directed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to investigate the matter and submit a report.
On January 21, 2020, a national daily reported that a Dhaka University faculty's thesis paper was 98% fake or copied.
This report stated Abdul Kalam Lutful Kabir, associate professor of the Department of Pharmaceutical Technology wrote a PhD paper that was 98% identical to one written by a Brac University student.
That student had submitted that paper in 2012, reports Bangla Tribune.
In addition to that, Kabir's thesis also had significant similarities with 17 journals, articles, and research papers published prior to his paper.
Later, lawyer Moniruzzaman Lincoln filed a writ petition in the High Court on January 22, 2020, asking for clearance from the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) before approval of PhD research proposals in universities.