The Pune police have launched a probe into an alleged racket of providing fake no objection certificates (NOCs) to multiple schools in Pune for Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) affiliation. The probe has been initiated following an inquiry ordered by the state school education department, officials said.
Sunanda Wakhare, education officer with the Department of Secondary Education of the Pune Zilla Parishad, registered a First Information Report (FIR) in the case against unidentified suspects at Samarth police station in Pune late on Monday night.
To get themselves affiliated with boards other than the Maharashtra state board, school authorities are required to secure an NOC from the state government, police officials said. After the school education department became aware that multiple schools in Pune were functioning with CBSE curriculum when no NOCs were issued to them, it ordered an inquiry.
The Department of Secondary Education of the Pune Zilla Parishad conducted the inquiry. Based on the findings, an FIR was registered at Samarth Police station late on Monday night.
“The complaint filed by education officer Wakhare pertains to fake NOCs for CBSE affiliations issued to three schools in Pune before July 14, 2022. The complaint names the three schools. We have launched a probe into how these schools managed to get these fake NOCs. We are investigating the possibility of an organised racket behind this and the money trail behind obtaining such NOCs. We will also investigate whether there are any more schools in Pune who have secured NOCs in this manner,” a senior police officer said.