KOCHI: Will anyone misappropriate funds meant for the midday meal scheme for schoolchildren? It seems even a school teacher might. After conducting a detailed preliminary probe into an incident in which a headmaster of a school here was accused of siphoning off Rs 3.95 lakh from the midday meal fund, Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has launched a detailed probe against the accused and a case has been registered.
The vigilance probe found that the accused, identified as Jeemon Philipose of Iroorpadam, Kothamangalam, had misappropriated funds to the tune of Rs 3.95 lakh when he was the headmaster of St Stephen’s Higher Secondary School during 2013-18.
“During 2013-18, while he was working as headmaster of the school misused his official position as a public servant and committed criminal breach of trust and misappropriation by illegally withdrawing an excess of Rs 3,95,704 than the actual amount permitted to be withdrawn to provide noon meal to students thereby causing loss to the government exchequer and wrongful gain to the accused,” said the FIR.
A vigilance officer said the probe found that the accused had withdrawn the fund in tranches between 2013 and 2018. As per the findings of the probe, the accused withdrew an excess amount of Rs 89,992, Rs 52,416, Rs 93,096, Rs 1,13,566 and Rs 46,634 from account no 67110942484 of SBI Chelad branch during academic years 2013-14, 2014-15, 2015-16, 2016-17 and 2017-18 respectively.
“Based on the report by the vigilance, he was removed from the post of headmaster. He is currently working as a teacher in the school,” said a school official.