The Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan Police on Sunday registered cases against 123 teachers who were appointed during the previous Congress-led Ashok Gehlot government, following allegations that they secured jobs through unfair means in the REET (Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers) held in 2018 and 2022.

The Education Department handed over a list of the individuals to the group after an internal review raised concerns about irregularities in their selection.

According to officials, the accused allegedly used impersonators, submitted forged documents and engaged in other forms of malpractice during the recruitment process.

An overwhelming majority, reportedly over 95 percent, of the teachers under investigation are from Jalore district, which has been previously linked to paper leak cases.

During the tenure of the Gehlot government, REET exams were conducted in 2018 and again in 2021. The 2021 exam was later cancelled after widespread allegations of a paper leak. A fresh examination was conducted in 2022, which is now also under scrutiny.

FIRs have been registered under IPC sections 419 (cheating by personation), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 471 (using forged document), 120B (criminal conspiracy), as well as relevant sections of the Rajasthan Public Examination (Measures for Prevention of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act, 2022.

SOG Additional Director General V K Singh confirmed that all state departments were directed to conduct departmental reviews of appointments made in the last five years, particularly in light of large-scale paper leak incidents.

“Following this directive, the Education Department submitted a list of 123 suspicious appointments. We have registered FIRs against them and will investigate each case individually,” Singh said.

The investigation is ongoing and further action will be taken based on the findings.

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