NEW DELHI: Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena allowed the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) to investigate into an alleged case of misappropriation of funds against four Delhi government schools’ vice-principals, officials posted in L-G’s office said on Thursday. Two of the accused officials are serving and the remaining two are retired.
According to officials, the L-G has granted permission to the ACB to investigate the case under section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Act, 2018 against four persons – Chhote Lal Shastri, PGT sanskrit/vice-principal (Retd.); Satyendar Kumar Sharma, vice-principal (rtd.), Rajiv Kumar, vice-principal, and Ravinder Kumar Jatav, vice-principal – for “fraudulently” drawing guest teacher’s salary in the name of “non- existent guest teachers” at the Govt. Boys Senior Secondary School (GBSSS-I) in east Delhi’s Mansarovar Park.
An audit carried out in November 2018 showed that in the said school during April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2018, there were “discrepancies” and “irregularities” in preparing the bills in respect of salary of guest teachers and it reported misappropriation of govt. funds, said officials.The Delhi government has around 25,000 guest teachers engaged in its schools.
“An amount of more than Rs 4 lakh was misappropriated in the name of just three ghost teachers, in this particular school, which was highlighted in the audit report. These findings were established through a preliminary inquiry vide report dated November 22, 2019 and since the matter pertained to embezzlement of government funds, it was taken up with the ACB for lodging an FIR,” said a senior official.
The matter was then examined by the Directorate of Vigilance (DoV), which proposed for approval of the L-G for proceeding u/s 17A of the POC (Amendment) Act, 2018. ‘I have carefully considered the submission on the pre-pages and the facts and records of the case and I am of the view that this matter requires to be investigated by the ACB,” a file-noting signed by Saxena in the matter read.