Fellow applicants were in splits at what was clearly a prank (Representational)
A candidate named 'Sunny Leone' wants to take a bachelor's degree in English Literature and has applied to two colleges in West Bengal for admission into the undergraduate course.
Authorities at the venerable Ashutosh College in Kolkata were aghast when they printed out a merit list of applicants on Thursday and the name of applicant number one was that of the Bollywood actor. And she was right on top because of her stupendous Class 12 board exams - 400 on 400.
Fellow applicants were in splits at what was clearly a prank but college authorities were not amused. They filed a complaint with the cyber police at Kolkata Police headquarters, Lal Bazar, demanding they get to the bottom of this outrage.
Ms Leone, however, tweeted merrily on Friday all the way from Los Angeles, US, where she lives. "See you all in college next semester!!! Hope you are in my class," she said and followed that with three smileys.
The incident repeated itself later in the day at Budge Budge College, 35 km from Kolkata. A candidate named Sunny Leone had applied there too for the same course but with poorer Class 12 marks, which is why her name appeared on the fifth page of the merit list.
Police have registered a case on the basis of complaints and will begin a probe on Saturday. While Sunny Leone appearing in the lists is clearly a prank, it has exposed flaws in the online admission system. Anyone can apply with false information and punch it full of holes.
Ms Leone's tweet had 1,435 comments, 2,926 retweets and 31.3K likes in 10 hours.
One fan said: "The entire Kolkata will welcome you madam. I will quit my job and take admission again."