Appointed in 1985, retired in 2021: Agra teacher now faces FIR over job fraud

In 1985, Dinesh Chandra was appointed as an assistant teacher at a government-aided school in Agra. By 2021, he had been retired for nearly four decades and had already received his retirement benefits. An FIR has now been lodged against Chandra, his brother Mahendra Singh Lavania, and the school's former manager, Naveen Parashar, for alleged cheating and forgery.

According to Block Education Officer Jagat Singh Rajput, an inquiry was launched after complaints of irregularities in Chandra's appointment. The inquiry found that Chandra's appointment was made around 1985-86 through alleged fraud, possibly involving the use of his mother's name in official documents. Both Chandra's and Lavania's addresses were found to be identical in the records.

The inquiry also revealed irregularities in the payment of Chandra's retirement benefits in 2021. Chandra had taken voluntary retirement two years before his scheduled retirement and Parashar, who was the school manager, allegedly authorized the payment despite being out of his legal authority. Lavania, who retired in 2020, arranged for the benefits to be released using Parashar's name.

The school's term ended in 2019, while Lavania's management committee term had also concluded. The department will seek the recovery of the salary and retirement benefits paid to Chandra once it establishes that his appointment was invalid.