Teachers' recruitment scam: MP court seeks report in a month

The Gwalior high court bench on hearing a public interest litigation issued notices to the principal secretary of education, commissioner of public instructions and collector to produce an investigation report into the contract teachers' recruitment process within a month.

The Gwalior high court bench on hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) issued notices to the principal secretary of education, commissioner of public instructions and collector to produce an investigation report into the contract teachers' recruitment process within a month.

According to sources, contract teachers were appointed through Janpad Panchyats in the district in 2006, 2009 and 2011. Sources said irregularities came to the fore in the recruitment of contract teacher group I, II, and III in Janpad Panchayat Raun, Bhind, Lahar, Ater and Gohad in 2006, 2009, 2011.

The candidates got contract teaching jobs using fake mark sheets of D.Ed and B.Ed and in a few cases FIRs were also lodged, but no action taken against the teachers. The then collector, M Sibi Chakravarthy, after receiving the complaints started investigation in February 3, 2014.

Sources said a four-member investigation team was constituted under the supervision of additional collector PK Shrivastava on February 7, 2014. The team was to complete investigation within seven days, but it could not be possible because record was not available at Ater, Gohad and other Janpad Panchayat offices.

Chakravarthy had issued notices against 27 suspected teachers to produce the documents. An FIR was lodged at Bhind Dehat police station against the officials who did not produce documents of the recruitment process.

Complainants Ramveer Singh, Prem Narayan and Hariom had filed a public interest litigation (PIL) through Gwalior high court counsel Umesh Bohare about the contract teachers' recruitment process.

The Gwalior high court on hearing the PIL issued notice to principal secretary of education, DPI commissioner, Bhind collector, zila panchayat CEO, Janpad Panchayat CEOs of Bhind, Raun, Lahar, Ater and Mehgaon.

The petitioners filed a PIL against then deputy collector Prabhat Ranjan, DEO and 19 others. Investigation officer additional collector PK Shrivastava said contract teachers' recruitment process record was not available at all the Janpad Panchayats so investigation is not possible. He said record was not available because there were irregularities on a large-scale in the recruitment process.