The Rajasthan Police’s Special Operations Group (SOG) has filed cases against 123 teachers appointed during the previous Congress-led Ashok Gehlot administration, following allegations that they obtained their jobs in the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET) through fraudulent means. The action comes after the Education Department, during an internal review, flagged irregularities in the selection process and provided the list of names to the SOG.
Investigators allege that the accused teachers used methods such as hiring impersonators, submitting forged documents, and engaging in other malpractice to secure their positions. Strikingly, over 95 percent of those under investigation are reportedly from Jalore district, an area previously linked to major paper leak scandals.
The REET examinations in question were conducted in 2018 and 2021 during Gehlot’s tenure. The 2021 exam was later cancelled after widespread allegations of a leaked paper, leading to a re-examination in 2022. That second attempt is now also being examined for possible irregularities.
The FIRs have been lodged under several IPC sections, including 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 471 (using forged documents), and 120B (criminal conspiracy). Provisions from the Rajasthan Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act, 2022, have also been invoked.
SOG Additional Director General V.K. Singh stated that all state departments had been ordered to review appointments made over the last five years, especially given the repeated large-scale exam leak incidents. “Based on the Education Department’s submission, we have registered FIRs against the 123 individuals, and each case will be investigated separately,” he said.
The inquiry is ongoing, with further action expected as the investigation progresses.
