ICSE board chief told to go on leave

The chief executive officer of the Council for Indian School Certificate Examinations, Francis Fanthome, has been asked to go on leave following complaints raised against him within the council.

Fanthome, who is also an Anglo Indian MP, has been told by his senior colleagues that several of these allegations were of a serious nature. Fanthome, according to sources, has granted a number of affiliations to schools without following the routine verification methods. His individual assets were also said to be disproportionate to his known sources of income. It has also been alleged that Fanthome’s associates forced down a number of text books written by Fanthome on ICSE schools.

The sources said that Fanthome has accepted the advice of other council members and agreed ‘‘to go on leave’’. Fanthome could not be contacted for his comments tonight.

It may be recalled that the MP was recently in the eye of a major controversy following a letter written to the HRD Ministry, stating that he could not be held answerable to Parliament.