Police yet to push HC to get documents from CBI
SHILLONG: Police inaction in filing an application before the High Court of Meghalaya to get the original documents related to the ‘education scam’ from the CBI for more than a year has put in limbo the criminal investigation on the tampering of mark sheets which prevented many deserving candidates from become teachers.
A lawyer dealing with the CBI matters said on Friday that the issue has been lingering for long due to the delay on the part of the police to seek the intervention of the High Court to enable the CBI to hand over the papers to the police to start the investigation.
The lawyer also said that no direction has come from the High Court to hand over the papers in the possession of the CBI to the police.
In July 2014, a lower court had directed police to approach the High Court for getting the original documents seized by the CBI following the ‘education scam’.
Sources, however, said that for the last 17 months, police had not made any attempt to move the High Court to get the papers from CBI to complete the pending investigation.
Earlier, the then Chief Judicial Magistrate had ordered the CBI to hand over the documents to the police, but the CBI argued that since the inquiry was ordered by the High Court, the direction to hand over the papers to the police should come from the High Court.
From 2010, after the scam surfaced, many FIRs were filed by the concerned persons seeking police inquiry so that those involved in the scam can be prosecuted.
Under pressure, the police finally registered a case, and in April, 2013, the then Director of Mass and Elementary Education (DEME) J.D. Sangma was questioned.
Sources said that to proceed with further probe, police wanted the original documents seized by the CBI whose 107-page report mentioned that, “It was felt necessary to examine J.D. Sangma, the then Director DEME. In course of his examination by the CBI, Sangma has stated that under the instruction of the then Minister of Education – Ampareen Lyngdoh – he had to change the score sheets as prepared by all the five boards duly applying white fluid on the original marks, as awarded by the members of the Board. Sangma also handed over a file containing the list received by the said Minister from different persons/ MLAs/ Ministers recommending the names of their own candidates for selection as teacher in LP schools in Meghalaya”.