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On the complaint of a Class X student in Aurangabad, the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) trapped the headmistress of a government-run school for allegedly accepting a bribe to issue his transfer certificate (TC). The headmistress of the school had allegedly demanded a bribe of Rs 500 to grant the student a TC. She was trapped on Friday. Earlier this week, the complainant, a 17-year-old student of a Zilla Parishad school in Rajangaon Shenpunji village in Aurangabad district, applied for a TC as he had just completed Class X and required the document to apply for higher studies.
The headmistress, Shamshad Muniruddin Kazi (52), allegedly demanded Rs 500 to grant him the TC. “The student decided not to pay the bribe and approached us instead. He gave a written complaint explaining that since his father had gone to Nagpur, he had decided to complain personally,” said an ACB official. After the ACB verified his complaint, the student was asked to go to school on Friday and tell Kazi that he was ready to pay the bribe, the ACB said. “The complainant tried to negotiate the bribe amount and the accused decided to accept Rs 200. So, she took a Rs 500 note from him and returned Rs 300,” the officer said. Kazi has been booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act and placed under arrest, the ACB said. “The accused is supposed to provide all documents to students free of cost as she is in-charge of a government school,” said the officer. According to analysis of corruption complaints that the ACB receives, individuals under the age of 25 accounted for only 12% of all complainants in 2015. Individuals aged between 25 and 35 years were the most active that year, submitting 361 complaints, data shows.
Praveen Dixit, former director general, ACB, said awareness drives in educational institutes have resulted in youngsters shedding inhibitions about approaching the agency. “Youngsters are becoming more aware of their rights. The boy needs to be applauded and others should take the lead from him. The investigating agency should make extra efforts to protect him…”
