By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, July 4: A complaint was lodged with CBI’s Anti-Corruption Branch in Shillong against two sitting MLAs from North Garo Hills — Timothy D Shira, who is also the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, and Mendipathar MLA Marthon J Sangma — accusing them of nepotism and illegal appointments.
The complaint was filed by a citizen from North Garo Hills, identifying himself as ‘Achik’.
The citizen, writing anonymously, submitted a letter to the CBI, a copy of which was also forwarded to The Shillong Times. The complaint alleges that Marthon J Sangma appointed his biological son, Algore D Shira, as a member of the District Selection Committee (DSC) of North Garo Hills purportedly without any official notification, transparency, or justification.
Similarly, the letter alleges that Timothy D Shira appointed his son, Pongsik G Momin, as vice-chairman of the DSC, “compromising the integrity of the entire selection process and rendering the recruitment body vulnerable to political interference.”
The complaint further states that some local job aspirants have alleged that both Pongsik G Momin and Algore D Shira demanded bribes of up to Rs 10 lakh each in exchange for selection to even lower-tier posts like that of a peon.
Since the reconstitution of the DSC in 2023 under these appointees, the letter claims there has been an unexplained delay in conducting recruitment examinations, especially for key posts such as LDA-cum-Typist and Grade IV staff.
It may be noted that The Shillong Times, however, could not independently verify the veracity of the documents submitted by the complainant with the letter.
The complaint also alleges irregularities in the conduct of DSC exams. “It has come to light that the said examination, which was supposed to be conducted in a transparent and standardised manner using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets, was instead held using a ‘fill-in-the-blank’ format — a clear deviation from established examination norms,” the letter stated.
The use of non-OMR methods, the complainant argued, increases the chances of manipulation and favoritism in manual evaluation and goes against the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for government recruitment across Meghalaya.
Further allegations were made regarding the appointment of Dingri Shira, daughter of Marthon J Sangma, to Mendipathar College. The letter claims she was appointed through political influence, bypassing proper procedures, advertising, and eligibility criteria in violation of UGC and state education norms.
“As per the norms of the People’s College Scheme, Dingri Shira is not eligible for recruitment under the scheme, yet she was appointed by her father through fraudulent means,” the letter alleged.
Public works contracts
The citizen also alleged that multiple public works contracts in Mendipathar and Resubelpara divisions were illegally awarded to firms owned or controlled by family members of the MLAs, raising serious questions about conflict of interest and corruption. (Contd on P-7)
Complaint with CBI alleges…
(Contd from P-1) “Allegations have surfaced regarding the splitting of tenders, fake competitive bidding, and awarding of contracts to proxy firms controlled by the same political families. The practice of awarding government contracts to sons and relatives constitutes a blatant conflict of interest, violating state procurement guidelines and amounting to criminal breach of trust and misappropriation of public funds,” the letter added.
Action sought
The complainant urged the CBI to initiate a suo motu case and conduct an investigation into these allegations, registering an FIR and case against both MLAs under Sections 7, 8, 13(1)(d), and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, and Sections 62 (Criminal Conspiracy), 316(2) (Criminal Breach of Trust), and 316(1)(b) (Cheating) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
He also requested the CBI to seize all relevant records related to DSC recruitments, appointments in Mendipathar College, and departmental contracts in North Garo Hills since 2018, and to summon officials including the Deputy Commissioner, DSEO, Executive Engineers, DSC members, and others alleged to have acted under political pressure.
The complainant further demanded that charge sheets be filed and prosecution initiated in a Special Court under Section 19 of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The letter also alleged that any staff or official who questioned these alleged irregularities were either threatened, transferred, or silenced.
When contacted, Deputy Speaker Timothy D Shira wished to meet this scribe on Saturday in person for comments, as communication over the phone was unclear.
Also, efforts to reach Marthon Sangma over the phone were unsuccessful. Follow-up messages sent via WhatsApp to both MLAs received no response till the time of filing this report.