SHILLONG: The CBI did not find sufficient evidence against former Chief Secretary PS Thangkhiew to charge sheet him in the education scam case.
The CBI had on June 26 filed charge sheets against Congress MLA Ampareen Lyngdoh and retired education officials JD Sangma and AI Lyngdoh.
According to the CBI, due to lack of sufficient evidence, the ‘FIR named accused PS Thangkhiew IAS’, the then Principal Secretary in-charge of education, has not been charge sheeted.
After obtaining prosecution sanction order from the competent authorities, charge sheets were filed in the special court, Shillong.
While Ampareen was the Education Minister, JD Sangma was holding the post of Director of Elementary and Mass Education (DEME), Shillong and AI Lyngdoh, Deputy Director of DEME.
They were charge sheeted under sections 20-B, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 201 of IPC and section 13(2) r/w 13(l)(d) of Prevention of Corruption Act 1988.
Tampering score sheets
During the CBI probe, it was revealed that Ampareen in collusion with Sangma and AI Lyngdoh had tampered original score sheets of candidates by using white correctional fluid to select favoured candidates. The names/ lists of the favoured candidates were given by various public representatives, senior district authorities and others within their constituencies to Ampareen and Sangma.
To accommodate the favoured candidates, the accused persons increased marks of the favoured candidates to place them in selection list and reduced marks of the candidates who were selected as per original merit lists.
It was further revealed during investigation that the original merit lists were destroyed by the accused persons and revised merit lists were prepared by manipulation of the original score sheets.
It was also revealed that some pages of the original score sheets were also replaced.
FSL testifies crime
The report of the hand writing expert from Central Forensic Science Laboratory, Guwahati in respect of manipulated score sheets and other relevant documents has proved the culpability of the accused persons.
During investigation, searches were conducted on the premises of the accused persons and CBI seized some incriminating documents which were filed along with the charge sheet. The accused persons were not arrested during investigation as they had cooperated.
Earlier, the Division Bench of the High Court of Meghalaya, while disposing of several petitions, had on November 2, 2017 directed the CB1 to take over the investigation of Laitumkhrah police station case relating to the alleged mass manipulations, tampering of the score sheets and interference in the selection for the post of assistant teachers in lower primary schools in 2008-2009.
Based on the court order, the CBI, Shillong took over the Laitumkhrah case from local police and registered a case on January 3, 2018 against Thangkhiew and other unknown persons.
