The team led by State Education (Primary) Director Dr Mahesh Palakar submitted its final report on Shalarth ID scam on January 2, 2026. Even though 632 teachers and non-teaching staff did not have Shalarth education orders, the mystery of where and by whom the IDs were created remains unresolved. The Shalarth ID scam is complex and convoluted. Therefore, everyone is groping in the dark. Sources said that, nothing concrete will come out of this. Sources said that, 491 teachers and non-teaching staff have approached the Nagpur High Court with 73 petitions, against which the Deputy Director of Education office has filed three writ petitions in the Supreme Court. There were no orders from the Deputy Director of Education office to issue Shalarth IDs in this scam. None of the 632 teachers have been able to present the original letter or document proving they possess a Shalarth ID.

 

The police are also clueless. It took a long time for the police to understand the issue due to which several arrests were made by them of those who were not guilty. A hearing of 632 teachers and non-teaching staff is underway at the Deputy Director of Education office. The staff is attached to schools in Nagpur district. These people were appointed mostly in 2019 at different times. The modus operandi applied while making appointments of teachers in primary schools in Nagpur district is very peculiar and unique too. Some fake appointments of other places and their style were different. Secondly, the number of fake appointments is not in bulk. The scam that took place in Nagpur district saw appointments made on the signature of the Education Officer who had already died. Arrears to the tune of Rs 50 lakh were availed.

 

There are 122 schools and 107 educational institutions whose involvement in the scam was noticed. With these many people found guilty, the department has stopped their salaries since March 2025. However, prior to that, Government spent Rs 139 crore on their salaries. Sources clarified that the Government will decide whether or not to recover this amount. Sources alleged that the Police Department is only considering the Deputy Director of Education office, and the Secondary and Primary Education Officers as guilty, and are conducting investigations and making arrests based on this assumption. In reality, these Shalarth IDs were created somewhere outside the office. Sources expressed surprise that no effort is being made to find out exactly where and by whom they were created. 440 teachers and non-teaching staff were summoned for hearing. Of them, 140 teachers, 118 headmasters, and 58 secretaries of educational institutions reported and appeared for hearing. Rest either did not come, citing reason of health issues, some people even threatened that they would sue the officers involved in the hearing and enquiry. 

 

 

MLA Pravin Datke had raised the issue in an aggressive manner during the Monsoon Session of the State Legislature at Mumbai, compelling Government to constitute the State Investigation Team (SIT). The task before the SIT is quite challenging as the scam is being unearthed in different areas though the scope is not like the one in Nagpur district. Now complaints are coming from Amravati, Satara, Sangli, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar. The SIT is scrutinising over 3 lakh documents. According to sources, the number of people accused may go up to over 1,000. Very few teachers have come forward and confessed that the institution operators took money. After that, however, the teachers have suddenly started getting uncooperative. It is known that the educational institution operators have also turned their backs. As a result, not a single educational institution operator has been arrested in this case after Dhote. Surprisingly, nobody is talking about the main accused in the teacher recruitment scam case, Pay Superintendent Nilesh Waghmare.