Shalarth probe: SIT says over 540 ‘fraudulent’ hires — All about the ₹100 crore teachers recruitment scam

Maharashtra Shalarth ID scam: A special investigation team (SIT) found that over 540 of the 622 teachers recruited via a Maharashtra government portal, were appointed without proper procedures, PTI reported citing a senior official.

The centralised portal, called Shalarth, manages payroll and service records of employees, including teachers, at government and government-aided schools, the report said. Shalarth ID is the identification number allotted to such staffers, it added.

₹100 crore Shalarth ID scam: What did SIT find?

• A police official told PTI that the SIT has found that of the 622 teachers appointed, only 75 were hired following proper procedures.
• The remaining 547 were appointed using fake IDs.
• These fradulent hires had each paid ₹20-20 lakh for the job.
• “This means the scam may be worth more than ₹100 crore,” the official noted.
• Speaking to PTI, Sunita Meshram, the SIT in charge of the probe, and assistant commissioner of police, said that besides the deputy directors in the education department, they are now focusing on education officers and teachers.
• “More arrests are likely in this case,” she added
• Another official told the agency that a team from the SIT went to Bhandara on May 23 to arrest retired deputy director Satish Mendhe for his alleged involvement, but he was not found at his residence.

Several people have been arrested in the case so far

• Nagpur Zilla Parishad Superintendent (Salary) Nilesh Waghmare was placed under suspension by the state education department on April 10 for alleged involvement in this recruitment.
• Deputy Director of Education Ulhas Narad was arrested on April 11 for allegedly approving an ID of a teacher who submitted bogus documents claiming work experience at a private school in Nagpur.
• Police also arrested a superintendent, a sub-inspector and a clerk in the deputy director's office in connection with this case, an official said.
• The SIT was formed in April 2025 to probe how fake identities were used to disburse salaries through the Shalarth portal in Nagpur.

(With inputs from PTI)