Two-member panel to probe TRB ‘job scam’

Two-member panel to probe TRB ‘job scam’

Chennai:11.02.2021

Two years after an alleged scam in the recruitment of 814 computer instructors through Teachers Recruitment Board (TRB), the Madras high court on Wednesday appointed a two-member committee consisiting of a former HC judge and a retired inspector general of police to look into the issue.

The committee will study the manner in which the examination was conducted at various centres. It will be open to the committee to seek CCTV footage. In the event of CCTV footage not being available at some centres, the panel must seek an explanation about it. It will also be open to the panel to speak to the examinees so that all apprehension expressed by the petitioners may be addressed, said a bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy. TNN

HC seeks probe report in April

The bench passed the order on an appeal moved by the state government challenging a single judge order.

“Justice N Authinathan (retired) who has been appointed by the single judge as a one-man committee to go into the probe shall appoint a retired police officer not below the rank of inspector-general who is without any political leanings so that the committee now comprises of two members,” the bench said.

The bench asked the committee to conclude the exercise within six weeks and file the report before the single judge by April 30. The appointments already given to the successful candidates will abide by the result of the proceedings and the final order that may be made on the petitions by the single judge, the bench said.

The issue pertains to an order passed by a single judge on December 17, 2020, constituting the one-man committee to probe the allegations. The order was passed on a batch of petitions moved by unsuccessful candidates alleging large scale irregularities including allowing the use of mobile phones while attending exams.

As all such allegations pertained to three exam centres established in KSR College of Engineering, Namakkal, Annai College of Engineering, Thanjavur, and Kongunadu College of Engineering, Trichy, the court permitted the state to proceed with the appointment of candidates selected from other centers.

As the single judge restricted the probe only to the three centers, the bench has expanded the same to all the 742 centres where the exams were held. The direct recruitment drive was conducted in 2019.