Click here to join Express Pune WhatsApp channel and get a curated list of our stories
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
In focus
The All Maharashtra Teaching Service Gazetted Officers Association announced a one-day strike on Friday over the arrest of educational officers for their alleged involvement in the Shalarth ID scam in Nagpur without “principles of natural justice” being followed. Fake IDs of non-existent teachers were created in the Nagpur division for payment of salaries under the scam.
The press release by the association says, “We demand that the real criminals who committed the crime should be found as soon as possible and strict legal action be taken against them… However, the main suspects in this case have not been arrested yet. The Education Officer and the Divisional Deputy Director of Education have been arrested without any inquiry for merely countersigning the MTR regarding salary, when they themselves have not passed any orders regarding bogus Shalarth IDs.”
The release also said that due to these arrests, an atmosphere of fear has been created among the officers in the department. The association demanded that no arrests of education officers should be made without the permission of the education department and that an inquiry, legal action against the culprits by the SIT, and education officers who cooperate with the investigation should not be arrested.
Earlier this year, FIRs were filed at Sadar Police Station and Cyber Police Station in Nagpur under charges including cheating, forgery, criminal breach of trust, conspiracy and offences under the IT Act. In May, the special investigation team (SIT) investigating the alleged “Shalarth ID” scam had found that over 500 teachers were recruited in contravention of rules.
The press release was signed by the association’s president Sheshrao Bade, chairman Ravindra Vani, general secretary Saroj Jagtap, treasurer Dr Jyoti Parihar, and office secretary Samarjit Patil.
