Fake experience certificate: HC orders probe by Sonepat SP

Saurabh Malik

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 22

For “unravelling the truth” behind the issuance of an alleged fake experience certificate to a candidate for a teacher’s post, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today ordered probe by the Sonepat Superintendent of Police (SP).

Mincing no words to say such instances were surfacing in “many cases”, Justice Deepak Sibal made it clear that the role of the Deputy Director, Secondary Education, and Sonepat District Education Officer (DEO) was required to be looked into before the submission of a report.

The directions came after Justice Sibal found that the candidate had submitted an experience certificate, which mentioned there were no students in the school during the first three years, just one student in the fourth year and eight in the fifth year.

The development took place on a petition filed by Rani Devi for consideration of her candidature for appointment as a postgraduate teacher (PGT) in mathematics.

The court was told that Haryana School Teachers’ Selection Board had invited applications for appointment to 2,057 posts of PGT (mathematics) in June 2012. The candidates were required to have passed the Haryana Teachers’ Eligibility Test (HTET) or School Teachers’ Eligibility Test (STET).

Candidates having a minimum of four years’ experience in privately managed government-aided schools, recognised schools and government schools were granted one-time exemption.

An experience certificate was, however, required to be filed for exemption from tests. It was to be attested by the DEO and counter-signed by the Director, Secondary Education.

As the petitioner had not passed HTET or STET, she sought exemption on the grounds that she had four years’ experience in a senior secondary school in Sonepat district. She was, however, denied appointment after her teaching experience was not found to be genuine.

“If there were no students, why was the petitioner appointed? If the experience certificate was not found genuine by the Director, Secondary Education, why was it earlier counter-signed by the DEO, Sonepat, and the Deputy Director, Secondary Education, Haryana? Was the experience certificate forged/false document....? Before proceeding further with the matter, with an attempt to unravel the truth and to find answers to the questions, I consider it just and appropriate to direct the SP, Sonepat, to conduct an investigation, in accordance with law, into the genuineness of the experience certificate given by the School to the petitioner,” the judge said in its order.