Shimla, March 9,
The release of Frauds in Files: A Compendium of Case Studies by Dr. Arun Kumar Sharma (Retd. IAS) has sent ripples through Himachal Pradesh’s Education Department. The book, based on detailed case studies, uncovers widespread financial mismanagement, manipulation of departmental inquiries, and breaches of service rules. It reveals how serious offenses were often diluted into minor infractions, allowing guilty officials to remain in service and benefit from government resources.
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Dr. Sharma, who held several key administrative positions, brings to light fraudulent practices not only in the Education Department but also in the HP Financial Corporation. A major focus of the book is on scholarship scams, which Sharma claims rival — and even surpass — Bihar’s infamous fodder scam in scale and gravity. Through documented instances, the book illustrates how departmental inquiries were intentionally delayed, enabling officials under investigation to stay employed long enough to qualify for retirement benefits.
One of the most troubling aspects highlighted is the misuse of preliminary inquiries under the CCS (Conduct) Rules, 1964, and the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965. According to the book, by 2018, the Education Department had 225 pending preliminary inquiries, including cases involving fake degree-based appointments and financial misappropriation. Some of these cases had been dragging on for decades, with many inquiry officers retiring before resolving the cases.
A particularly notable case involves O.C. Guleria, in which the current Principal Secretary of Education, Rakesh Kanwar, is listed as a witness. The charges date back to Kanwar’s time as State Project Director. Sharma questions how Rule 16 — intended for minor penalties — was used to address serious offenses like financial embezzlement and misconduct, which warranted more severe disciplinary action or criminal proceedings.
The book also sheds light on the misuse of rules related to unauthorized absences. Sharma criticizes how cases of prolonged absence, which should lead to dismissal under Absent Without Leave (AWL) provisions, were instead kept pending under Rule 16. Some employees had been absent for over a decade, yet their employment status remained unchanged, leading to disruptions in education and unnecessary financial strain on the state.
Among the many cases of misconduct detailed, two stand out.Subhash Chand, a Mathematics Lecturer at GSSS Bijhri, Hamirpur, was caught by police in 2010 while illegally transporting answer sheets from an evaluation center. Despite the severity of this violation, his case was downgraded to a minor penalty under Rule 11(iv) of the CCS (CCA) Rules, 1965, instead of facing strict disciplinary or legal action. Asha Ambiya, a Political Science Lecturer at GSSS Jawali, Kangra, went on earned leave from September 2013 to March 2014 and remained absent without authorization thereafter. Despite repeated instructions to resume duty, she failed to return, adversely impacting students’ education. Yet, instead of being dismissed under FR 17-A, her case lingered under Rule 16, allowing her to remain on the government payroll for years.
The book also exposes the issue of fake degree-based appointments, where unqualified individuals were hired as teachers. Instead of referring these cases for criminal investigation, they were kept under endless preliminary inquiries.
In August 2018, Sharma had issued a notification urging the Education Department to convert such inquiries into criminal cases and expedite disciplinary actions. He questioned why embezzlement cases were not promptly referred to law enforcement and why inquiry officers were allowed to retire without completing their reports. Sharma’s directive stressed the need for immediate FIRs in financial fraud cases and called for accountability from investigating officers delaying cases beyond June 30. He also insisted on the immediate dismissal of employees found guilty of financial misconduct and recommended legal action under IPC 120B for supervisory officials who enabled fake degree holders to secure teaching positions.
In the wake of the book’s release, the Education Department responded swiftly. On March 7, the Director of Higher Education instructed district officials to provide details of teachers and non-teaching staff with unexplained long absences. The directive acknowledged how lax monitoring of attendance had resulted in financial losses, with absentee employees continuing to receive salaries and pensions. Officials were criticized for failing to report such cases, leading to unnecessary expenditure on “ghost employees.”
The Directorate has now implemented stricter attendance monitoring and called for immediate reporting of absences and misconduct. It also demanded updates on FIRs filed against errant employees and emphasized greater vigilance over financial irregularities and fake degree-based appointments. The department admitted that had controlling officers acted earlier, many of these financial losses could have been avoided.
With 79 major penalty charge sheets (under Rule 14) and 21 minor penalty charge sheets (under Rule 16) still unresolved, the book’s revelations have put the onus on the Himachal Pradesh government to ensure transparency and accountability in its administrative processes.
