Sanjoy ray
GUWAHATI, June 9 – Can Assam’s Education Department be termed as the most litigious department of the Tarun Gogoi government? A detailed statement of cases of the Directorate of Secondary Education Department filed with the court of law certainly sketches a grey picture and puts a question mark on its functioning in the last one decade.As things stand today, the Secondary Education Department finds itself engrossed with over 3,000 cases, which are still pending with the court of law, alleging malfunctioning.
Information made available to The Assam Tribune revealed that at present 2,735 writ petitions (C), 201 contempt cases and three cases related to human rights are pending with the court of law till date.
The cases comprise public interest litigations, contempt cases and those related to human rights violation.
Of the 4,000 cases filed during the span of last ten years against the Education Department, only about 900 cases could be disposed off.
“The cases mostly relate to alleged misappropriation of funds and irregularities in appointments. We stand against around 3,000 cases filed in different courts, which is not a joke. Appearances in the court have eaten into a lot of quality time of the department,” a senior Education Department official stated requesting anonymity.
Asked, a senior Gauhati High Court lawyer, said, “I would not be able to provide a pinpoint answer but certainly there has been a spurt in public grievances against the functioning of the Education Department, which reflects in the number of cases it finds itself engrossed with.”
State’s Education Department, it needs mention, has witnessed a number of scams in the last one decade involving several crores of rupees and names of many senior officials have been indicted in these connections.
