Cuttack: Orissa high court on Wednesday directed the state govt to file an affidavit giving an update on the status of identification of all those who had got appointment in govt schools as teachers on the basis of forged educational certificates.
The HC was hearing a seven-year-old public interest litigation (PIL) that had raised issues relating to appointment of teachers in various schools under the school and mass education department on the basis of fake educational certificates.
The two-judge bench of Chief Justice Harish Tandon and Justice B P Routray directed the state govt to give an update on the outcome of investigation in six districts and status in three districts from where no reports had been received.
Observing the “issue as serious in nature”, the bench fixed May 6 for further stock taking on the action taken by the govt.
The bench issued the direction after amicus curiae Sudarshan Nanda submitted before the court that an affidavit filed by the govt on Dec 24, 2024 indicated the status of identification process in 27 of the 30 districts.
In the order, the bench said the affidavit revealed that 424 teachers were identified as having used fake certificates to secure appointments and appropriate action has been taken for their removal from service.
Investigation is underway in Angul, Cuttack, Ganjam, Jharsuguda, Mayurbhanj and Sundargarh districts. No information has been furnished regarding the status of identification in Bargarh, Keonjhar and Kendrapada districts, the bench said in the order, while seeking the status update from the state govt.
In the order, the bench also said the affidavit claimed that no report had been received about admission of non-existent students for misappropriating midday meal scheme funds.
The PIL was registered on the basis of a letter petition received from Sanjaya Kumar Maharana of Patia area in Bhubaneswar in 2018.
The petitioner had alleged that the teachers with fake certificates procured from Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir and Rajasthan were teaching in elementary and secondary level schools. The petition had also alleged admission of non-existent students for misappropriating midday meal scheme funds.