FIR against ex-MP minister in contract teachers` appt scam

The MP Special Task Force (STF) has registered two FIRs against ex-State Technical Education Minister Laxmikant Sharma in connection with contract teachers` recruitment case.

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) has registered two FIRs against former State Technical Education Minister Laxmikant Sharma and 129 others in connection with alleged irregularities in the examination for the recruitment of Grade II and III Contractual Teachers conducted by MP Professional Examination Board (MPPEB).

Both the FIRs named Sharma as accused and 129 others including an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) Dhanraj Yadav in the case. After investigations, they may be summoned for questioning, STF sources said today. The STF has submitted the copy of FIRs in the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Pankaj Singh Maheshwari`s court in the state capital. The FIRs were registered earlier this month against a total of 130 persons including the former Minister, concerned officers and candidates who have appeared in the examination allegedly in connivance with MPPEB officials. The matter came to light when the STF was analysing data from the hard disk seized from the computer of MPPEB`s Principal System Analyst, Nitin Mahindra, who was earlier arrested by STF in connection with the Pre-Medical Test (PMT) scam alongwith Examination Controller Pankaj Trivedi. The hard disk, seized by the STF was later sent to Gujarat based Central Forensic Sciences Laboratory (CFSL) where the data related to various exams including contractual teachers appointment was recovered, the sources said. The data has roll numbers of candidates who cleared the examination in connivance with those named in the FIR. STF sleuths also recorded statements of Trivedi and Mahindra in this regard and after they mentioned the name of Sharma and others, FIR was registered against them. In the just concluded Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, Sharma lost the elections from Sironj constituency in Vidisha district.