A plea has been filed before the Delhi High Court, requesting an investigation into the selection of 35 newly-recruited principals for Delhi government schools. The plea alleges that these appointments were made based on “forged and fabricated documents.” According to the public interest litigation, these 35 candidates misrepresented themselves and were selected illegally due to the Delhi government’s Department of Education’s failure to properly scrutinize their submitted documents.

The petitioner, Navendu Charitable Trust, sought to include the individuals accused in the allegations. The court, presided over by Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula, granted the petitioner’s counsel the requested time and scheduled further hearings for October 18.

The plea states that some candidates submitted fake Economically Weaker Section (EWS) certificates to qualify for selection despite having an annual family income exceeding Rs 8 lakh. Others allegedly exploited the Other Backward Class (OBC) reservation by presenting fake experience documents. The petition argues that these instances of misrepresentation could be just the tip of the iceberg.

The plea emphasizes that due to these erroneous selections, deserving candidates were overlooked, violating Article 16 of the Constitution. The candidates in question are on probation and receive a monthly salary exceeding Rs 1.75 lakh. If they are confirmed in their positions, investigating the matter would become even more complicated.

The petition asserts that corruption in the selection process for school principals, who bear significant responsibility for children’s futures, is unacceptable. It accuses the Delhi government’s education department of failing to verify the records of selected candidates. As a result of this negligence, the plea contends that 35 misrepresented candidates and potentially others have been appointed as school principals.

The plea seeks a directive for the Delhi government to investigate these appointments before the probation period expires and to conduct an inquiry without bias or arbitrariness.

Source: PTI

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