School principal held taking ₹6,000 as bribe, says Punjab Vigilance Bureau

The action was taken on the complaint of a resident of Mohi village who mentioned that he cleared his matriculation examination during the Covid-19 period but didn’t receive his certificate

The Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB) has arrested a school principal for allegedly accepting ₹6,000 as bribe. The accused, identified as Gurmeet Singh, is the principal of Camp Khalsa Senior Secondary School, Ajitsar Mohi, a government-aided institution.

A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against the accused. (HT File)

According to a VB spokesperson, the action was taken on the complaint of a resident of Mohi village who mentioned that he cleared his matriculation examination during the Covid-19 period but didn’t receive his certificate. Despite applying online for a duplicate certificate, he did not receive it and subsequently approached the school principal for assistance.

The spokesperson said the principal allegedly demanded ₹15,800 to facilitate the certificate’s issuance. The government fee for a duplicate certificate is ₹900, while the tatkal (immediate service) fee is ₹2,000. The complainant alleged that he had already paid ₹10,000. Later, he approached the vigilance bureau. After conducting a preliminary inquiry, a VB team laid a trap and apprehended the accused red-handed while he was accepting ₹6,000 from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses.