Probe ‘fake’ Schedule Castes certificates, panel tells Education Dept

Karam Prakash
Tribune News Service
Patiala, January 29

The State Commission for Schedule Castes (SC) has directed the Education Department to conduct an inquiry into the caste certificates of SC candidates in ETT-TET teacher recruitment. The department has to submit a report by March 4.

The commission is said to have taken the step after Dr Jatinder Singh Mattu, state president of Dr Ambedkar Employees’ Federation, filed a complaint regarding alleged fake SC certificates.

In his complaint, he alleged when many general category candidates could not make it to the merit list, they got made fake SC certificates and opted in the SC category to get jobs. The Education Department had, erroneously, allowed the candidates to change their category after the results of the recruitment were out.

The department, through a notice issued on December 16, had given a time window to the candidates to change their categories during the counselling.

However, the department clarified that it gave a chance to change the categories only after it received request applications in this regard.

Dr Mattu said, “As many as 400 candidates, belonging to the general category, opted for the SC category after the department allowed them to change the category. This raises a suspicion on how so many candidates applied for the wrong category despite being highly educated.”

Deep Banarsi, press secretary, ETT-TET Pass Unemployed Union, said, “Why did the government allow changing one’s category when the result was already out? An inquiry should be conducted.”

Finally, the SC commission, in its directive, said it would be binding on them to take action against the department if it failed to comply with the order.

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