CBI BOOKS MEGHALAYA MINISTER
NEW DELHI: The CBI has booked Meghalaya’s PWD Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh and state’s Additional Chief Secretary PS Thangkhiew over alleged manipulation of score sheets in the recruitment of teachers in 2008-09, an official said on Thursday.
The CBI has acted on the orders of Meghalaya High Court, registering the FIR under IPC sections related to criminal conspiracy, forgery, criminal breach of trust against Lyngdoh, who was the education minister at the time of the alleged scam and Thangkhiew, a 1984-batch IAS officer, who was the then principal secretary education, the CBI official said. Thangkhiew is now the additional chief secretary looking after the crucial home department. The state is likely to go for Assembly polls in the first quarter this year.
The agency has also made Directorate of Elementary and Mass Education and unidentified persons accused in the FIR.
Meghalaya High Court had on November 2, 2017, ordered the CBI to take over the investigation registered by state police relating to alleged mass manipulation, tampering in the score sheets and interference in the selection of assistant teachers in lower primary schools in the state in 2008-09.
It is alleged that Lyngdoh had instructed J D Sangma, who was the director, elementary and mass education, at that time and two of her supporters to tamper and forge the score sheets by applying white fluid to increase or decrease marks of the candidates.
The complainant had alleged that the minister in collusion and connivance with other members of the legislative Assembly carried out large scale manipulation in the selection process for the appointment of assistant teachers.
The High Court had said it is clearly of the view that this is a matter that required thorough and deep investigation by an independent agency.
“...We are clearly of the view that the state police would not be the proper agency to be entrusted with the investigation, and for the requisite investigation and for bringing to book all the persons responsible in this scam, it is rather imperative that investigation in the FIR...TO be carried out by the CBI,” it had said.