PIL on ‘fake’ schools and teachers: Orrisa HC sets deadline for govt’s response.

Court sets deadline as State Government fails to submit a response to High Court notice.

In response to a PIL seeking a vigilance probe into ‘fake schools and bogus teachers’ allegedly thriving on funds allocated by the State Government, the Orissa court set a 20-day deadline for the state government to reply. The state government had failed to reply after a notice was issued to the School and Mass Education department on Dec 2018 in this matter directing them to reply by Jan 21, 2019.

The petition was filed by Sanjana Kumar Maharana of Patia, Bhubaneshwar alleging that fake schools and fake teachers were looting 200 crores every year from the state treasury and sought a vigilance probe into the issue. The petitioner had alleged that fake teachers using forged certificates from Andhra Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Rajasthan were working in bogus schools.

The illegally appointed fake teachers were even promoted to the post of Head Master in 2014 and 2015. Maharana had alleged that plenty of funds allotted by the government for elementary and secondary education in the state were being taken by fake students and fake teachers.

As the Mass Education Department had delayed filing the response to the notice, the court had gone on to appoint a lawyer Sudarshan Nanda as Amicus Curiae on April 24, 2019, to assist it in the petition.

As the case came up for hearing on Monday the court took cognizance of the inordinate delay in filing of the response. The division bench of Chief Justice K S Jhaveri and Justice K R Mohapatra directed the Government to comply with the December 10, 2018 order and respond by Dec 28, to the notice issued in the case.

Last month School and Mass Education Minister Samir Ranjan Dash had informed the State Assembly that as many as 217 fake teachers were found on jobs in various schools to date.