New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked a former principal of Kendriya Vidyalaya of Waltair, Visakhapatnam for allegedly admitting as many as 193 students using forged documents in exchange of bribes from their parents.
Two First Information Reports (FIRs) — copies of which The Print has accessed — were lodged Wednesday against the former principal, identified as S. Sreenivasa Raja, as well as unknown public servants and private persons.
The forged service certificates were purportedly issued by some central government departments, PSUs, Railways, Union Bank of India and Central Industrial Security Force (CISF).
Raja misused his position and took monetary benefits for admitting 193 students in the Kendriya Vidyalaya of Waltair in the previous two academic sessions of 2021-22 and 2022-23, according to the FIRs.
While 124 students were admitted in 2022-23, 69 “ineligible” students got admission through Raja, the CBI elaborated.
The CBI has booked the accused under Sections 7 (a) and (b) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, and Sections 465 (forgery), 471 (using as genuine a forged document or electronic record), 120B (criminal conspiracy), and 488 (punishment for making use of any such false mark) of IPC.
Raja’s deeds deprived genuine students of the opportunity to get education from Kendriya Vidyalaya at Waltair, it said.
“Surprise checks” were carried out at K.V. Waltair on receiving “reliable information” and officers found that Raja violated the norms laid out by Kendriya Vidyalayas and bypassed the committee for scrutiny and final approval, the federal agency said.
“Raja himself approved the applications and provided the admissions to 124 ineligible students based on the false/forged Service Certificates purportedly issued by various Central Govt.Departments, PSUs viz., Railways/Union Bank of India/CISF etc. in the name of parents of the said 124 ineligible students,” the CBI said in one of its FIR.
The FIRs added that admissions were given in various classes and that the accused got “pecuniary” advantage from parents in his two accounts through Unified Payments Interface (UPI) mode.
(Edited by Tony Rai)