Tightening noose on education mafia, district administration has lodged FIR against total 51 persons for illegally hiking school fees by a total of Rs 81.30 crore and collecting books commission of Rs 4.12 crore. The accused include 30 who belong to schools management, five book store owners and owners of 16 publishing houses. Total 21 of the accused have been arrested while rigorous searches are underway to apprehend remaining accused. According to the analysis of fee hike, 11 private schools have recovered Rs 81.30 cr excess fees from more than 21,000 students which means these schools have recovered excess fees of Rs 240 crores till date from 7 lakh students at the rate of Rs 35 lakh per year. District Magistrate and Collector, Deepak Saxena, while addressing a press conference, on Monday, disclosed that continuing the special campaign against illegal school fee hike and commissioning game in selling of CBSE and ICSE books, administration has found huge irregularities in fixation of school fees and increasing unnecessary load of books on children. These irregularities leads to huge corruption in fee hike amounting to Rs 81.30 crore and commission in selling of books worth Rs 4.12 crore.

 

Collector Saxena added that during two months of the rigorous campaign and one-to-one interaction with the complainant parents and schools representatives, till now, irregularities have been found against 11 schools while further investigations are underway against remaining schools. Investigation was conducted separate teams led by 8 SDMs, 12 Tensildars, 25 Education officers, 60 other employees in 5 raids, inspection of more than 50 schools and two open hearings of parents and school managements. During the investigations, administration found that the schools failed in uploading audit report on portal, manipulation in annual receipts of audit report, unnecessary fee hike of above 15 percent, not presenting information of fee hike, fee hike of above 10 percent without having any permission. Early morning on Monday, total 20 police teams conducted search at establishments of accused and succeeded in apprehending 21 of the accused and produced them before the court. Police have obtained remand of accused for further investigation in separate cases.

 

Omti, Gwarighat, Barela, Tilwara, Belbagh, Sanjeevni Nagar, Bhedaghat, Madhotal and Gora Bazar Police have registered separate cases against the accused under Sections 420, 468, 471, 409 and 120-B of IPC against Christ Church School Co-Ed Saliwara, Chairman, Rt Rev Ajay Umesh Kumar James, Manager and Priest-in-Charge, Rev S. Nilesh Singh, Principal, Shitij Jacob, St Aloysius School Polipathar, Manager, Fr SG Willson, Principal, Soma George, Stemfield International School, Vijay Nagar, Chairman, Madhurani Jaiswal, Director, Parv Jaiswal, Administrator and Treasurer, Supriya Jaiswal and Principal, Manmeet Kohli, Christ Church for Boys and Girls School, Bishop/Chairperson, Ajay Umesh James, Principal, Shaji Thomas, Manager, LM Sathe, Shri Chaitanya Techno School, Dhanvantri Nagar, Chairman, Sanjeev Garg, Secretary/Principal, G Ravinder, Advisor, CS Vishwakarma, Directors, Boppana Seema and Sushma Shree, Gyan Ganga Orchid International School, Chairman, Dayachandra Jain, Vice-chairman, Viniraj Modi, Secretary, Bhartesh Bharil, Treasurer, Nikita Jain, Principal, Deepali Tiwari, St Aloysius Senior Secondary School Sadar, Principal Sibi Joseph, Little World School, CEO, Chitrangi Iyer, Manager, Subodh Nema and Principal, Paridhi Bhargava, Christ Church Boys Senior Secondary School, Civil Line, Chairman, Ajay James, Principal, LM Sathe, Members, Atul Anupam Ibrahim and Ekta Peter, St Aloysius Rimjha, Vice-chairman, JDES, Fr Ibrahim, Manager/Principal, Dr John Walter Xalxo, Secretary, Fr CB Joseph, Christ Church Jabalpur Diocesan School, Bishop/Chairman, Ajay Umesh James, Manager, ML Sathe, Principal, Ekta Peter, Head of Diocesan, Shaji Thomas, Manager, Lalit Soloman.