Nagpur: In a major development in the high-profile Shalarth ID scam involving fraudulent appointments of teachers, a Nagpur Sessions Court on Monday denied bail to five prime accused, including senior education officials. The case, under investigation by a Special Investigation Team (SIT), centres on the misuse of Shalarth — the State Government’s digital payroll system for education employees.
Sessions Judge Joglekar dismissed the bail applications of Chintaman Vanjari, Director, Maharashtra State Board, Vaishali Jamdar, former Deputy Director of Education (Nagpur), Nilesh Waghmare, Superintendent, Zilla Parishad Pay Team (anticipatory bail), Mahendra Mhaiskar, teacher and Laxman Mangham, clerk in the Deputy Director’s office.
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The court found no merit in the pleas, stating that the investigation is still at a crucial stage and the accused hold positions that could influence witnesses or tamper with evidence.
Meanwhile, in a related case, 88-year-old Nanaji Pudke, Secretary of a private school in Bhandara district, was granted regular bail by First-Class Judicial Magistrate A.K. Banker. Pudke had allegedly forged documents to obtain a school ID, enabling his son Parag Pudke to be appointed as the school’s Principal and illegally receive a government salary. Parag is currently under suspension.
The magistrate noted that Nanaji Pudke’s arrest on June 10 was illegal, citing procedural lapses. The same day, the police had also sought seven days of custody, which the court found contradictory. Based on these grounds, bail was granted.
Scam likely confined to Nagpur district
While early reports hinted at the scam being widespread across Maharashtra, a senior Education Department official has clarified that the fraudulent use of Shalarth IDs is confined to Nagpur district. “The method used in this scam couldn’t have been replicated elsewhere due to systemic safeguards,” the official stated on condition of anonymity.
The SIT is continuing its probe into the scam, which exposed a nexus of officials, clerks, and school administrators who manipulated the Shalarth system to create fake employee records, enabling undeserved salary payments to ineligible individuals.
More arrests are likely as investigators trace the flow of funds and responsibilities within the education department’s payroll infrastructure.
