Seven teachers suspended over fake disability certificates in Maharashtra’s Nanded

A headmaster and six other school teachers have been suspended for allegedly availing disability quota benefits without submitting the valid certificates in Maharashtra’s Nanded district, officials said.The primary education department launched a verification drive in September last year to identify teachers using fraudulent disability documents.It was found that the disability certificates of seven teachers were not recorded in the issuance register maintained by the district civil surgeon’s office, an official said.The findings also indicated the percentage of disability in these cases was below 40 per cent, thereby rendering them ineligible for the benefits, he said.In one instance, the headmaster of a Zilla Parishad (ZP) school had allegedly been granted disability concessions despite not submitting any relevant certificate, the official said.Among the other six teachers, some had not submitted the relevant certificates, while others presented documents found not to have been issued by the district civil surgeon, he said.Following the probe, ZP Chief Executive Officer Meghna Kavali suspended the seven teachers with immediate effect on Monday. PTI