Pune, Jul 24 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sushma Andhare on Friday asserted that former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had exposed a massive paper leak scam in Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) exam in 2021 during his tenure, and had given a free hand to the investigating agencies.
Her statement comes a day after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis alleged that the biggest TET scam occurred during Thackeray’s tenure as the CM.
Talking to reporters on Thursday, Fadnavis said, “The biggest TET scam in the state’s history happened during Uddhav Thackeray’s tenure. It was not just a paper leak. Even candidates who had failed were made to pass. Ministers in that government also faced allegations.” Countering the charge, Andhare said, “Uddhav Thackeray not only exposed a massive paper leak scam, but also gave investigating agencies a free hand. Even when it emerged that the then minister Abdul Sattar’s daughter had cleared the examination allegedly through malpractice, police were told not to spare anyone.” “Around 3,500 candidates who had secured jobs through unfair means were blacklisted, and Sattar’s daughter was among them,” she said.
Andhare said the contract for educational and university coordination was awarded to a firm, whose director was later arrested in the paper leak case. That contract had been awarded during the first Fadnavis-led government (2014-19) when Vinod Tawde was the state education minister.
Referring to the alleged examination irregularities, she said the MHADA recruitment exam was scheduled to be held on December 12, 2021, but a day before that, the police received information that a question paper had been leaked, following which they conducted a raid.
“During the raid, they arrested Pritish Deshmukh, owner of G A Software Company,” the Sena (UBT) spokesperson said.
She alleged that G A Software had been blacklisted in Karnataka, but it was still awarded the examination contract during Tawde’s tenure as education minister.
“Based on Deshmukh’s disclosures, police arrested 47 people. One of the key accused was Abhishek Savrikar, technical advisor in the education department. A chargesheet was filed against him and he was jailed. After he came out of prison, BJP leader Ravindra Chavan inducted him into his party,” she said.
But Savrikar’s name has once again surfaced in connection with alleged irregularities in the Soil and Water Conservation Department, and an FIR has also been registered against him in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, she claimed.
Another IAS officer, Sushil Khodwekar, who was arrested in the TET scam, was reinstated in 2022 by the then chief minister Eknath Shinde, she said, adding that IPS officer Bhagyashri Navtake, who unearthed the TET scam, was transferred on punishment posting after BJP-Shiv Sena came to the power. PTI SPK NP
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