The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) has registered a case against three former MLAs and six serving and retired officials of the Department of School Education for irregularities in appointment of watchmen and sanitary workers.

The accused include late MLA A.K. Bose; former Tirumangalam MLA M. Muthuramalingam; former Usilampatti MLA P.V. Kathiravan; S. Nagarajamurugan, Joint Director of School Education; S. Kannappan, Director of Matriculation Schools; retired officials who served in 2011-13: J. Santhamoorthy, former District Educational Officer, Usilampatti; V. Rajarajeswari, former Joint Director of School Education; P. Mani and K. Devaraj, former Directors.

A total of 13 posts of watchman and 25 posts of sanitary worker were lying vacant in Usilampatti when the State government sanctioned 5,000 non-teaching staff posts in 2012. The posts were allotted to educational districts across the State based on student strength. The district employment exchange provided a list of 47 candidates for the posts of watchman and 116 for sanitary worker posts.

Out of eight short-listed candidates for the watchman post, three were said to have been selected based on recommendation. Out of 20 candidates selected for sanitary worker post, deviation in selection process was noticed in the case of six.

Based on a writ petition filed by K. Ganesan, an applicant for the watchman post, who was not selected, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court directed the DVAC to conduct an inquiry into the appointments in 2014.

As per the DVAC report, investigation revealed that a Superintendent in Usilampatti was asked by the Director of School Education on July 26, 2012, to show the final list of candidates to the ruling party MLA and receive recommendation letters from him for some applicants. If there were no recommendation letters, they could be received from Ministers in the district.

Although the selection process involved attachment of mark statements with the application forms, the procedure was not followed. Even the application forms of the recommended applicants were not filled up. Neither interview nor certificate verification was conducted.

The report concluded that all nine public servants, through corrupt and illegal means, abused their power while holding office by depriving meritorious candidates of a job. Cases were registered against them under Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.