Court's Verdict on Forged Appointments: High Stakes for Teachers in Maharajganj

The Allahabad High Court has rejected petitions from four teachers in Maharajganj, ruling their appointments were based on forged documents. Consequently, they aren't entitled to state-funded salaries. Despite decades of service, the court emphasized legality over equity, stating that fraud nullifies any right to service benefits.

In a landmark decision, the Allahabad High Court dismissed the petitions of four junior high school teachers from Maharajganj district. The verdict came after the court found that their appointments were secured using suspicious and forged documents, a move it deemed void ab initio.

These teachers, appointed in 1996 at Janata Laghu Madhyamik Vidyalaya, continued to receive salaries until 2000, when allegations of forgery surfaced. Justice Manju Rani Chauhan highlighted discrepancies in the appointment approval process, such as missing entries in the dispatch register and inconsistencies in the 1991-92 management and 1996 salary registers.

Despite nearly 30 years of service, the court concluded that time does not legitimize illegality. It upheld the principle that equity cannot override legal statutes, advising the petitioners to seek compensation for post-2000 services from the competent authorities.