Sisodia sacks 5 principals over embezzlement of funds, admissions

Deputy Chief Minister and Education Minister Manish Sisodia has ordered termination of five government school principals for allegedly being involved in embezzlement of funds from students’ scholarships and granting fake admissions.  

Sisodia has also recommended discontinuing the pension of a Sub Division Magistrate (SDM)-rank retired DANICS officer of the Delhi government.

Principal of Government Boys Senior Secondary School, Nithari,  Ashok Kumar Singh, has been accused of embezzlement of around Rs 30 lakh from various scholarship schemes for students like SC/ST, OBC, Minority, Merit Scholarship and Lal Bahadur Shashtri Scholarship Scheme.  “It was found that Ashok Kumar Singh used to withdraw money of scholarships, but never distributed them among the eligible students,” said a government spokesperson. 

He added Singh was suspended in January 2014 during the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) 49-day rule for embezzlement of funds from 2008 -13. The education department had referred the matter to the Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), which recommended slapping a heavy fine against Singh and terminating him.

Mukesh Chand, principal of Sarvodaya Vidayalaya in Lajpat Nagar, is accused of facilitating admission of students in Class XI and XII on the basis of fake marksheets.

“He neither cross-checked the marksheets from the CBSE, nor complained to the police after the issue was brought to his notice,” the spokesperson said.

Principal of Government Boys School, Tughlakabad, has been terminated for granting admission to a student in Class XI who had failed in Class X in a similar fashion. 

Harprasad Meena, principal of Co-ed Government School in Hiran Koodna, is accused of using students’ welfare fund to pay salary to an IT Assistant of the school, who had joined in July, in June. He was also found conniving with Mid-Day Meal supplier. 

The fifth accused, Om Prakash, principal of Government Boys School, Jungpura, is charged with embezzlement of funds in publishing a magazine for his school.

Surajbhan, a retired DANICS official, is accused of favouring a party in a property dispute as SDM Patel Nagar and passed the order without hearing the second party. The government has recommended to the President to discontinue his pension.

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