In a major crackdown on recruitment fraud, Rajasthan’s Special Operations Group (SOG) has registered criminal cases against 123 government teachers accused of securing their positions through forged documents and impersonation in the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET). The Directorate of Elementary Education has ordered the immediate cancellation of their appointments and initiated recovery proceedings for the salaries they have received so far.
Forgery, Impersonation, and Document Tampering
The SOG investigation uncovered multiple irregularities, including the use of fake REET certificates, forged academic documents, mismatched photographs, and manipulated signatures. In some cases, “dummy candidates” were deployed to sit for the examination on behalf of actual applicants.
FCRF Launches India’s Premier Certified Data Protection Officer Program Aligned with DPDP Act
The inquiry revealed that the fraudulent recruitments date back to REET Level 1 and Level 2 examinations held in 2018 and 2022. Officials found that certain candidates submitted entirely fabricated degree certificates and manipulated REET credentials to pass verification checks.
One example cited in the investigation involved candidates whose photographs and signatures on application forms did not match the records on file. Teachers such as Deshraj (Pali), Himanshu Mittal (Jalore), and Jitendra Singh (Jalore) were among those whose credentials raised serious doubts.
District-Wide Irregularities, Jalore Tops the List
The district of Jalore emerged as the hotspot for fraudulent recruitment, with the highest number of suspected teachers. Names such as Lokesh Kumar Sau (Dudha ki Beri), Rekha Meena (Jeetpura), Ruchika Sharma (Pawli), and Prakash Bhadu (Koliyan ki Beri) were flagged during the review. Some of these individuals were recruited as far back as 2016 and 2021 and remain employed in various schools.
The probe was initiated following a state government directive last year, instructing all departments to verify the academic qualifications, application forms, photographs, and signatures of employees appointed between 2019 and 2024. Four-member divisional-level committees were set up by the Directorate of Elementary Education in Bikaner, which reviewed records from Bikaner, Churu, Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Kota, Bharatpur, and Pali divisions.
The findings have prompted further investigation, and officials have indicated that more names could surface in the coming weeks. The state government has emphasized accelerating recovery efforts to offset the financial loss to the exchequer.