NAGPUR: Giving respite to officials of Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, the Nagpur bench of Bombay high court
quashed a police complaint filed against them by a local politician from Andhalgaon in Bhandara district over change of examination centre.
A single-judge bench of justice RC Chavan quashed the First Information Report (FIR) filed by Zilla Parishad member Charan Waghmare against then former board chairman Shridhar Salunkhe and education officer in Bhandara Ashok Bhagat observing that “no case is made up of charges under which the petitioner had been booked.” Anand Parchure and Rajneesh Vyas held the brief for the petitioner.
According to the petitioners, the state board has nominated Pandurang Burde High School in Andhalgaon as an examination centre for HSC examinations. However, education officer Bhagat during his visit to the school on March 3 found that many basic facilities were not available at the centre. He recommended cancellation of the centre and shifting students to a nearby ZP school. He, however, insisted on maintaining the same centre number to avoid confusion among the students.
Based on Bhagat’s recommendations, the state board changed the exam centre and published a corrigendum asking students to shift to a nearby ZP school.
When Waghmare came to know about the cancellation of centre, he issued a letter to the board office to reinstate the centre or face agitation. But, board officials simply refused to entertain his letter saying that it is sole authority of the board to decide about the allotment of centres.
Charan Waghmare later on lodged a police complaint and under alleged political pressure, the police registered a case of cheating against the board chairman.
Waghmare accused the board officials of cheating the students while “deliberately” shifting the examination centre and in the process leaving the students in lurch. The police registered a complaint under Section 420 and Section 468 against Salunkhe and Bhagat.
The petitioners had sought cancellation of the FIR against them and granting interim protection against arrest.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Nagpur/HC_quashes_FIR_against_board_officials/articleshow/3568017.cms
