STF to probe duping of candidates

LUCKNOW The state government on Tuesday handed over the case of fraudsters duping candidates on the pretext of helping them crack the assistant teachers’ recruitment examination, to the Special Task Force. The racket was busted by police last week.

The exam to recruit 69,000 teachers was held in 2019.

Addressing a press conference, basic education minister Satish Chand Dwivedi said, “The STF has been asked to investigate the case of duping teacher-aspirants on the pretext of helping them crack the assistant teachers’ recruitment examination.”

The minister said an aspirant Rahul Singh lodged a complaint that some people took money from him to help him crack the teachers recruitment examination. “However, his name was not on the list of successful candidates when the results were declared,” Dwivedi said.

The minister said the examination was held on January 6, 2019. The results were also ready in a few months but were not declared because of court directives. They were declared in May 2020 after the court upheld the criteria of eligibility fixed by the state government.

Last week, police had arrested

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eight people in connection with the fraud and recovered cash and documents from their possession. The minister said on the basis of Rahul’s complaint and to prove the sanctity of the examination, the matter was handed over to the STF.

Dwivedi took pot shot at opposition parties, saying they were trying to derail the recruitment process of 69,000 assistant teachers that would give employment to such large numbers of unemployed youth of the state.

Without naming any political party, the minister said they were rattled with such a massive recruitment process and trying to mislead the candidates to derail the process.

On the issue of the Supreme Court’s Tuesday order to withhold

recruitment on 37, 339 teaching posts, the minister said the state government’s point of view was not heard. The state government would appeal before SC for review (order modification) after studying the court order.

About the controversy erupting after the mark-sheet of a supposedly Other Backward Class (OBC) candidate with second name Tewari and Upadhyay, went viral on the social media for having secured the highest marks in the written test, , Dwivedi said, “Caste details are filled by candidates while applying for recruitment and the results are declared based on it. It is during counselling that the candidate has to prove his or her eligibility to claim the benefits of reservation.”