Two employees dismissed, resignation of third accepted after vigilance verification finds educational documents forged
Shimla: The Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau has registered an FIR against three individuals, including a former junior engineer (JE), for allegedly securing employment in the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board on the basis of forged educational and technical qualifications.
The alleged fraud came to light during a preliminary vigilance inquiry, which found discrepancies in the academic certificates submitted by the three employees. Verification from the concerned institutions revealed that the Karnataka State Open University, Rajasthan State Open School and National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) had denied issuing the certificates in question.
Following the findings, the electricity board management initiated departmental action, dismissing Anil Kumar and Vishal Kumar Chauhan from service, while accepting the resignation of Divesh Kumar.
According to the vigilance inquiry, Anil Kumar, a resident of Khani, was appointed as a junior engineer in the board’s Holi sub-division in 2022. He had allegedly submitted a diploma in electrical engineering claiming it was issued by Karnataka State Open University. However, the university reportedly denied issuing any such diploma in his name.
In another case, Divesh Kumar, a resident of Dehra village in Chamba, was appointed as a junior T-Mate in the Chamba division in 2021. He had submitted a Class X certificate purportedly issued by Rajasthan State Open School, Jaipur. The institution, during verification, denied issuing the certificate.
The third accused, Vishal Kumar, a resident of Balul, joined the board as a junior T-Mate in the Dalhousie division in 2019. His Class X certificate, purportedly issued by the National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS), Noida, was also found to be unauthenticated during verification.
An FIR has been registered against all three accused at the Vigilance Police Station in Chamba under relevant provisions relating to cheating, forgery and other offences. Further investigation is underway.
Board officials also under scanner
The vigilance inquiry has also raised questions about the role of certain electricity board officials. Investigators reportedly found that some officials had knowledge of the discrepancies in the certificates but failed to inform the investigating agency for criminal action.
These officials are now also under the vigilance scanner as the agency examines whether there was any lapse or deliberate attempt to suppress the matter.
