'Plagiarism cannot be encouraged': Govt on action against Galgotias University at AI Summit
Responding to questions, S Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, said exhibitions must reflect “genuine and actual work”
- Feb 19, 2026,
- Updated Feb 19, 2026 8:03 AM IST
The government has issued its first detailed response to the controversy surrounding Galgotias University’s robotic dog display at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, saying the decision to ask the university to vacate its stall was aimed at preventing “controversy,” not adjudicating its technical claims.
The university had showcased a robotic dog named Orion, stating it was developed by its Centre of Excellence. The display triggered criticism online after users alleged that the machine resembled the commercially available Unitree Go2 built by Unitree Robotics.
As backlash mounted, organisers cut the power supply to the university’s stall at Bharat Mandapam and asked its representatives to leave.
‘We don’t want a controversy’
Responding to questions, S Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, said exhibitions must reflect “genuine and actual work.”
“The idea is not to use this as an opportunity in any other fashion. We don’t want a controversy around exhibits which are presented here,” he said.
“Our intention is never to encourage somebody to plagiarism or anything of that kind cannot be encouraged. Misinformation cannot be encouraged. So we don’t want a controversy around this.”
Krishnan clarified that the government was not passing a technical verdict on the product. “I’m not getting into whether they are right or wrong. We just don’t want a controversy.”
‘Exhibition is not certification’
On whether the summit verifies claims before allowing displays, Krishnan said it was not a certification platform.
“It is an exhibition. So it is not things which are intended for sale or where we have to standardise and certify. Certification happens if it is meant for public distribution or sale,” he said.
“When somebody is demonstrating a product, you presume that they know what they are talking about. If you have to certify even what has to be exhibited, then you’ll say we are stifling innovation. Our intention is not to stifle innovation.”
University apologises
Galgotias University later issued an apology, stating that the individual handling media interactions at the pavilion was not authorised to speak.
“She was not aware of the technical origins of the products and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information even though she was not authorised to speak to the press,” the university said.
It maintained that there was “no institutional intent to misrepresent this innovation” and reiterated its commitment to “academic integrity, transparency and responsible representations” of its work. The university said it vacated the premises “understanding the organiser’s sentiment”.
The government has issued its first detailed response to the controversy surrounding Galgotias University’s robotic dog display at the India AI Impact Summit 2026, saying the decision to ask the university to vacate its stall was aimed at preventing “controversy,” not adjudicating its technical claims.
The university had showcased a robotic dog named Orion, stating it was developed by its Centre of Excellence. The display triggered criticism online after users alleged that the machine resembled the commercially available Unitree Go2 built by Unitree Robotics.
As backlash mounted, organisers cut the power supply to the university’s stall at Bharat Mandapam and asked its representatives to leave.
‘We don’t want a controversy’
Responding to questions, S Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, said exhibitions must reflect “genuine and actual work.”
“The idea is not to use this as an opportunity in any other fashion. We don’t want a controversy around exhibits which are presented here,” he said.
“Our intention is never to encourage somebody to plagiarism or anything of that kind cannot be encouraged. Misinformation cannot be encouraged. So we don’t want a controversy around this.”
Krishnan clarified that the government was not passing a technical verdict on the product. “I’m not getting into whether they are right or wrong. We just don’t want a controversy.”
‘Exhibition is not certification’
On whether the summit verifies claims before allowing displays, Krishnan said it was not a certification platform.
“It is an exhibition. So it is not things which are intended for sale or where we have to standardise and certify. Certification happens if it is meant for public distribution or sale,” he said.
“When somebody is demonstrating a product, you presume that they know what they are talking about. If you have to certify even what has to be exhibited, then you’ll say we are stifling innovation. Our intention is not to stifle innovation.”
University apologises
Galgotias University later issued an apology, stating that the individual handling media interactions at the pavilion was not authorised to speak.
“She was not aware of the technical origins of the products and in her enthusiasm of being on camera, gave factually incorrect information even though she was not authorised to speak to the press,” the university said.
It maintained that there was “no institutional intent to misrepresent this innovation” and reiterated its commitment to “academic integrity, transparency and responsible representations” of its work. The university said it vacated the premises “understanding the organiser’s sentiment”.