Mumbai/Nagpur: The Mahayuti government has finally moved to address one of the most alarming corruption scandals in Maharashtra’s education sector — the alleged misuse of Shalarth IDs to pay salaries to ineligible employees in aided and partially-aided educational institutions.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT), headed by Pune Divisional Commissioner Chandrakant Pulkundwar, has been formed to probe the matter. The three-member panel, which also includes IPS officer Manoj Lohiya and Harun Attar, Joint Director (Administration) of the Education Commissionerate, Pune, has been given three months to submit a report.
The Core of the Scam
At the heart of the controversy are Shalarth IDs — digital identifiers used for salary payments in government and semi-government schools. Sources allege that since 2012, these IDs were issued to ineligible teaching and non-teaching staff in districts including Nagpur, Nashik, Jalgaon, Beed, Latur, and Mumbai.
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05 Aug 2025
With fraudulent IDs in place, salaries — often running into crores of rupees collectively — were disbursed over the years, draining public funds meant for legitimate educators.
Mandate of the SIT
The SIT’s investigation will cover:
- All Shalarth IDs issued since 2012
- Appointments in aided and partially-aided schools
- Legitimacy of personal and school-level approvals
- Service continuity and transfer records
- Review of irregular recognitions and procedural loopholes
Beyond identifying wrongdoing, the panel is expected to recommend systemic reforms to prevent future misuse.
A Scandal That’s Already Claimed Arrests
In the Nagpur division alone, over 18 arrests have already been made in connection with the scam. These arrests have ignited a broader debate: how could such appointments and payments go unnoticed for more than a decade?
The Bigger Question
The scam doesn’t just highlight corruption — it exposes deep cracks in Maharashtra’s education oversight. If fraudulent appointments can bypass multiple layers of verification, what does it say about the governance structures designed to protect public funds?
With the SIT now in motion, the state government faces a defining test: will this be a symbolic probe, or the beginning of a long-overdue clean-up of Maharashtra’s education system?
