RTI query reveals, out of the 108 officials being investigated for various offences since 2006, only 19 have been suspended while the remaining 89 are still being probed
RTI query reveals, out of the 108 officials being investigated for various offences since 2006, only 19 have been suspended while the remaining 89 are still being probed
In a reply to a Right to Information (RTI) query by two lawyers seeking to know how many officials from the education department are being investigated for corruption, the statistics revealed are shocking. To the astonishment of advocate Ajay Tapkir and Manoj Tekade, between the year 2006 and 2011, some 108 officials came under the scanner for accepting bribes and only 19 have been suspended during the period. The remaining are still under investigation.
The decision to file the RTI application with the education department came after Deepak Karande, personal assistant to Education Minister Rajendra Darda, was caught red-handed by officers from the Anti-Corruption Bureau while accepting a bribe in September this year.
Eager to know exactly how many officials were being investigated, the lawyers adopted the RTI tool.u00a0
u00a0"It was surprising to learn that 19 education officials were suspended for accepting bribes and enquiry against 89 officials was still pending for various discrepancies. But, what is more outrageous is that the enquiry is still going on, despite five years having passed. The accused should be identified so that people are aware of those officials," said Tapkir.
Tekade said, "After receiving the information through the RTI, we have now requested details in an appeal about how much time it would take to complete the enquiry against these corrupt officials that has been pending for five years. The arrest of the education minister's PA forced us to file the RTI."
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