Meghalaya HC continues hearing in teacher recruitment scam involving Ampareen Lyngdoh

The Meghalaya High Court continued hearing multiple petitions related to an alleged teacher recruitment scandal from 2008-09, involving a sitting Cabinet Minister and former education officials.

Chief Justice IP Mukerji granted additional time to defence counsel to file specific documentation regarding charges against the accused in the case being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The case centres on allegations of irregularities in the selection and appointment of Assistant teachers in Lower Primary Schools during 2008-09. According to court documents, the accused allegedly engaged in "subverting the selection process by interpolating, forging or fabricating the examination result sheets to help specific candidates."

Prominent among the accused is a sitting Cabinet Minister in the Meghalaya government, Ampareen Lyngdoh, represented by Senior Advocate Salman Khurshid, who has concluded his arguments before the court.

The second accused, identified as Jeffrey D. Sangma, who reportedly served as Director in the Department of School Education during the period under investigation, is represented by Senior Advocate Paul, who began presenting arguments in today's hearing.

"Today, learned counsel seeks leave of this Court to file a compilation containing the specific charges which have been levelled against his client out of the countless charges which have been included in the charge framed," the court order noted.

The Court granted this request, stating: "Such leave is granted. The compilation may be filed by 4th June, 2025."

The High Court is hearing five separate criminal petitions related to the case, including one filed by the CBI "complaining of the order passed by the criminal court." The other four petitions were filed by the accused seeking quashing of proceedings under Section 482 of the Criminal Procedure Code, now renamed as the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS).

The matter has been adjourned to June 13, 2025, with Chief Justice Mukerji directing that "all subsisting interim orders shall continue till disposal of these applications or until further orders, whichever is earlier."