‘Fake’ job letter, she worked as govt teacher for 10 years

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, February 25

A woman served in the Education Department as a teacher for nearly a decade and not only got salary during this period but was also transferred from one district to another.

However, during a probe conducted by the Circle Education Office (CEO), Faridkot, it was found that she was appointed in 2006 and adjusted in the department in 2009 on the basis of a “fake” appointment order.

The accused, Harinder Kaur, who was posted at Government Senior Secondary School, Malout village, and belongs to Ferozepur district, has been dismissed from service on the order of the Director, Education Department (Senior Secondary).

The copy of order (in possession of The Tribune) shows that a complaint was received against the accused teacher and a preliminary investigation was marked to the CEO, Faridkot. During the probe, it came out that the certificates procured by the complainant under the RTI Act and those submitted by the accused teacher to the department did not match with each other. Thereafter, the teacher was chargesheeted and suspended in September 2017. At the time of suspension, her headquarters was at the District Education Office (DEO), Muktsar.

However, during further inquiry, when she failed to give any satisfactory reply regarding her appointment letter, she was dismissed from service a few days ago. The letter in this regard even stated that the accused teacher’s name was not even in the merit list issued at the time of her “appointment”, thus her case did not even come under the selection zone.

When contacted, Malkit Singh, District Education Officer (DEO), Muktsar, said, “During the inquiry, it has come out that Harinder Kaur produced a fake appointment letter, which is not available anywhere in the records. She was given ample chances to defend herself, but she failed to do so. She was first suspended and now dismissed from service. Now, she has challenged her dismissal by filing a petition in the court. The department will give a reply in this regard in the court.”

He added, “The accused was first posted in Ferozepur district and then transferred to Muktsar district. Vigilance Bureau sleuths, too, had conducted a probe as to how a woman served in the department on the basis of a fake appointment letter.”

Sources in the Education Department said if a fair and detailed probe is conducted and certificates of other teachers are also verified, many skeletons would tumble out of the closet.