Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Thursday ordered the dismissal of 267 government officials and other employees found working on the basis of fake caste certificates.
Baghel has instructed that those holding fake caste certificates and who do not have a stay order from the court should be immediately sacked from service, an official press release said.
He gave the order to the General Administration Department (GAD).
He said the High Court will be requested for an early hearing through the Advocate General of Chhattisgarh in all cases where stay order has been issued.
According to the GAD, a total of 758 cases of fake caste certificates were received by a high-level certification scrutiny committee between 2000 and 2020, out of which 659 cases have been resolved and 267 caste certificates were found fake.
Most cases are pending before the High Court or have stay orders. After getting a stay order, many are still working in important posts, the release said.
The committee found that the guilty include 44 in School Education Department, 15 in Panchayat and Rural Development Department, 14 each in GAD, Agriculture Department and Water Resources Department, 12 in Village Industries Department, 9 in Public Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education Department, 8 each in Tribal and Schedule Caste Department and Public Health Engineering Department, 7 each in Energy Department, Home Department and Revenue Department, 6 in Livestock Department and Fisheries Department, 5 each in Urban Administration Department, Skill Development, Technical Education and Employment Department, and Forest Department, 4 each in Women and Child Development Department and Department of Commerce and Industry, 3 each in Higher Education Department and Cooperative Department, 2 each in Public Works Department and Planning (Economic and Statistics() Department, 1 each in Commercial Tax Department, Sports and Youth Welfare Department, Chief Electoral Officer Office, Public Relations Department and Housing and Environment Department.