Primary Teachers Appointment : CBI Probe & Judicial Inquiry

Prof L Chaorel Meitei *

Manipur is a very small State having approximately 25 lakhs of its population with nearly 7 lakhs of educated unemployed youths. Everybody knows what some other people who are in the seat of power, being indulged in corruption and bribery, to meet their vested interests, as an open secret agenda, in a most disgracefully substandard manner, without caring for anybody on earth. "Might is right" and "King does no wrong" are their guiding principle and motto. The credibility and accountability of this Govt is the "reign of terror" and nothing else.

Where has the Dr Kishan and Rabina's killing cases gone and how the matter stands now? How does the matter of repeal of AFSPA and fasting unto death of Sharmila Chanu stand? Who will check and punish Sky-high corruption at high places, being indulged and inflicted, at the cost of innumerable helpless masses. So long there is corruption there will be no peace and stability in Manipur. General strike, Bandh, Blockade, Dharna, Rally etc in protest against misgovernance and misrule at frequent intervals, are looming large here and there, for reasons best known to the Government.

Please note "a neglected spark burns the whole house". Needless to say—one and all recall the mass mark-tampering case of the MCS/MPS written examination conducted by the esteemed MPSC some 15 years ago, in which Das Commission had scrapped/invalidated the recommended candidates, including sons of some VVIP's and high officials after having detected the manipulative mark tampering with prima-facie evidences, in the relevant answer scripts of the said written test Examination of some candidates.

Now coming to the ongoing process for appointment of about 1500 Primary and Hindi Graduate Teachers, written test was conducted on 22nd December 2006 and the result of the said examination was announced on 16th April, 2007 (after about 4 months), and subsequently, (DPC) Viva-voce was conducted from 6th February, 2009 onward, spreading over 11 months (after about 10 months counting from the date of announcement of the written test Examination result, in which more than 5 thousand candidates were declared to have passed).

After about 3 years 6 months from the date of Written Test and 4 years counting from the date of advertisement, surprisingly to everybody's utter shock and confusion, a list of 1413 candidates (including waiting list etc) were found published under the order and signature of Shri M Harekrishna Singh, as recommended candidates, through the Hueiyen Lanpao Newspaper serialising on 24th, 25th, 26th, 29th and 30th of June 2010 (Both in Manipuri and English edition).

There were 512 carididates recommended in General criteria (277 Females) with 51 in the waiting list; 322 in ST category with 32 candidates in the waiting list; 117 in OBC category with 18 candidates in the waiting list; 21 in SC with 2 candidates in the waiting list; 11 candidates in OBC with 1 (one) in the waiting list; 1 (one) in SC 2 in PH. For Hindi Graduate Teachers 23 candidates were recommended in General category with 2 candidates in the waiting list; 8 candidates were recommended in OBC with one (1) in the Waiting list; 15 candidates were recommended in ST with 1 in the waiting list.

These recommended candidate's lists were announced and published, perhaps without any authority and approved criteria/category or admissible ratio for ST, SC, OBC and physically handicapped candidates, in contravention and violation of the existing provisions of service rules and regulations of the Government or as per RR for appointment of Primary/Graduate Teachers.

Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes were already given cent per cent reservation quota in the recently held/conducted viva-voce and appointments made for the 5 Hill Districts. When 512 candidates were recommended in the General criteria, as many as 322 ST candidates were found recommended along with 21 SC candidates for appointment of Primary Teacher for the valley areas, as well. Hence, ST and SC candidates are enjoying double benefits and double ratios within the same State of Manipur twice.

What is the justification for this ration of reserved quota, when candidates of the general criteria (valley people) were not allowed/appointed in the case of appointments made for the 5 Hill Districts of Manipur. Why there is step-motherly treatment and naked partiality between the Hill Tribes and valley people. The previledges of the General Category Candidates are deprived and confiscated, perhaps through miscalculation or mis-interpretation of some high officials, who are in the seat of power.

This needs to be rectified, to meet the ends of justice and fair-play in all appointments and subsequent promotions. This practice should be stopped forthwith, or else, the fates of the future generations of the employees of the valley (General category) people will be nibbed in the bud. The learned and Hon'ble Education Minister is an ex-Judge/Magistrate of a learned and esteemed law court.

He should not succumb to the dictates of MCS/IAS Officers who are subordinate to him. He should deal them with an iron-hand as per law of the land. After all, man is a mortal being, and in one's life excess of everything is bad. And there is a limit of human patience. Life is not a myth, it is real.

It is not PC Sarkar's magic circus. Facts and justice cannot and should not be twisted and manipulated at any cost. Without prior concurrence of the Hon'ble Education Minister, how the Director of Education (S) would dare to publish the so-called recommended list of Primary Teachers for appointment? This is fantastic and impossible.

The Education Minister is responsible for all sixes and sevens prevailing in the Education (S) Department. If he is a competent and powerful Minister, he should have taken timely decision within 6 months or so. Delay in taking decision amounts to corruption and denial of justice, which will surely tell heavily on his future political career, in the days to come. The Director of Education (S) commits the crime of insubordination, breach of trust and leakage of official documents, punishable under official secrecy Act. He deserves to be suspended and terminated from service.

This is one hundred thousand million Dollar question of the public answerable by the Hon'ble Education Minister and the Govt.

1. That, why the result/marks obtained by the individuals/successful candidates were not announced and published as white paper in order of merit/performance, prior to the process for viva-voce, and subsequent recommendations made to ensure and maintain crystal-clear transparency in appointments?

2. That, as on date, merit list of the Written Tests for all competitive examinations conducted by the UPSC and State Service Commissions are announced and published before conducting viva-voce, and subsequent recommendations being made. Why and with what dishonest manipulative motive, it had not observed, among other things, the mandatory and statutory service rules and regulations in the case of specific process for Primary Teachers appointment? And why its process has taken four years? The esteemed UPSC could conduct innumerable competitive examinations every year, in which several lakhs appeared. They could complete the whole process for Written Test, viva-voce and recommendations within 6 months to one year. So also, the service commissions of other sister States of India, take 6 months to one year in its process for recommendation etc.

3. That, under the provisions of the office of secrecy Act, the culprit/responsible official whomsoever he/she may be, should be punished with suspension and subsequent dismissal from service and not mere/routine transfer postings for committing the unpardonable crime he/she committed in a most irresponsible manner. Does it not amount to dereliction of duty, breach of trust, lack of integrity and failure to maintain secrecy of the policy and administrative decisions of the Govt in violation of maintenance of Official Secrecy Act. The controversial, conflicting and inflamatory publication (published list should be invalidated and declared non and void, forthwith.

4. That, under whose authority, the Director of Education (S) had published the so-called recommended list under his signature with dated office/Govt Memo No. etc in the press media which was supposed to be in the Govt file in secrecy, before issuance of the relevant appointment orders?

5. That, adding fuel into fire, in the published recommended merit list, incidentally two Okrams (Surname) are found placed as first and second (in serial 1 & 2) and the last candidate (ie Sl. No. 512) of General category, synchronizing as sons/close family relatives of the Hon'ble Chief Minister and one Hon'ble MLA of Thanga Assembly constituency. This confirms the suspected imperative manipulation and corruption at high places.

Impossible things are made possible by the MLA's, Ministers and VVIP's in connivance with the appointing authorities. May be the merit list of recommended candidates is genuine and true. But, the answer scripts of the written test need a CBI probe and Judicial enquiry by a commission of enquiry headed by a High or Supreme Court Judge independently. If the marks and merits of the written test are not accountable, in the process for appointment, it should not have been conducted at all. All appointments should have been done through pick and choose of MLA's and high official as their reserved quota/share without an advertisement.

6. That, the proposed 3 Member Committee or a House Committee will not be able to unearth the truth. It is an eye-wash policy of this Govt which will prove to be meaningless. How can the MLAs, Ministers and high officials be trusted when they had already inducted their candidates in the recommended list as their reserved quota/share, through pick and choose basis. This is a burning and vulnerable problem—a very serious concern of this State Govt, on the one hand and the general public, on the other. The public have lost confidence in the committees and their reports/findings in such matters. Because, MLAs, Ministers and high officials are suspected to be involved/associated in conspiracy, and also they have their reserved quotas being inducted already, out of the way, from their pockets, in confiscation of the merit-cum-performance of other bright and promising candidates, who are not near and dear ones of the VVIP's

7. That, the Hon'ble Chief Minister and the learned Education Minister, should step down on moral and judicious grounds owning entire responsibility of this issue, if their intuition, wisdom and vision, stand committed and dedicated for the cause/welfare of the aggrieved and deprived people of Manipur who are surviving with untold miseries in Hell, for denial of justice. They should know that a spark, if neglected will burn the whole house. His Excellency, the Governor of Manipur should interfere in such serious vexed problems. But he remains silent as an irresponsible spectator.

8. That, social activists, the patriotic NGOs, UCM, Students organisations viz AMSU, DESAM and MSF etc and all the political parties etc should awake and take-up this serious matter, in public interest, or else, the fate of the future generations of Manipur will be doomed in the hands of a Dictator, as Sadam Hussain and General Pervez Musaraf did in Arab and Pakistan in the recent past. We should stand united with solidarity and fight for justice at such a critical juncture. The back-bone of the corrupt-maniac Ministers, MLAs and high officials should be broken into pieces. Because these corrupt persons have eaten our blood from our veins. They should be illiminated and finished once for all.