Disability quota job fraud: Teacher held after 13 yrs

Kota/Jaipur: Jhalawar police have arrested a 35-year-old govt school teacher for allegedly using a forged certificate to obtain a job under the disability quota and continue in service for nearly 13 years. Police said another govt teacher accused of securing employment with a fake disability certificate has fled and remains absconding.

The action followed a joint probe by Jhalawar police and the Special Operations Group (SOG), Jaipur, after complaints alleged that multiple govt employees had used fake or altered disability certificates to gain appointments. Police subsequently carried out verification, biometric checks and fresh medical examinations conducted on the suspects.

Jhalawar SP Amit Kumar identified the arrested teacher as Bane Singh, a senior mathematics teacher posted at Swami Vivekanand Government Model School in Bakani. Singh, a resident of Rakda village in Aklera tehsil of Jhalawar district, has been serving as a govt teacher since 2013. He was produced before a local court Thursday and remanded to three days’ police custody for interrogation.

Investigators alleged Singh claimed 42% locomotor disability at the time of recruitment, but a reassessment by a special medical board at MBS Hospital and Medical College in Kota found his disability to be 6%. Police said the minimum disability required to claim reservation benefits is 40%, making him ineligible under the quota.

Investigators also named a second accused, Yogesh Kumar, who allegedly used a certificate showing 42% hearing impairment. A fresh medical assessment found no disability, police said. Kumar, a resident of Bayana in Bharatpur district, was recruited in 2022 and posted as a Grade II teacher at a govt upper primary school in Bajarpura under Bhawani Mandi block. Police teams are searching for him.

The inquiry was conducted under the supervision of RPS officer Krishna Gopal, examining complaints received by Jhalawar police and the SOG. Based on the findings, police submitted a report to the SOG, after which an FIR was registered at Kotwali police station. Police said they scrutinised disability certificates, recruitment applications submitted to the Rajasthan Public Service Commission and the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board, examination records, appointment documents and subsequent medical reports before making the arrest.