CUTTACK: Despite Orissa High Court’s directive to the State government to terminate services of teachers who had submitted fake certificates during recruitment in Cuttack district, no action has been taken yet.
Acting on the court’s order, the School and Mass Education department had issued letters to 23 district education officers (DEOs) directing them to accelerate the process of identifying such teachers in their respective districts. But the process of removing the fake teachers, identified by Odisha Police’s Crime Branch, in Cuttack district has not moved forward.
As per reports, in 1993 the then District Inspector (DI) of Schools, Salepur, had filed an FIR with the local police station against more than 100 fake teachers working in different schools under Salepur, Mahanga and Nischintakoili blocks.
Even as a case was registered at Salepur police station, police did not act on the complaint and the matter was handed over to the Crime Branch. The investigation by six inspectors of the Crime Branch continued for 10 years and they submitted the charge sheet against 13 fake teachers in the JMFC court, Salepur, in 2003. Two years later on June 21,2005, the School and Mass Education department issued the termination letters of the teachers. But suppressing the department’s order, the then DI had only held up their salaries.
The fake teachers, who then moved the State Administrative Tribunal, were subsequently able to get their salaries restored with the help of an interim order. Sources alleged that the teachers who were hand-in-glove with the government advocate and bench clerk (peskar) succeeded in delaying the case for 18 years and are now enjoying all the benefits including annual grade pay and promotion.