Principal dismissed after serving 16 years with fake ST certificate

A major scam has come to light in the education department of Uttar Pradesh's Siddharthnagar district, where a principal who served for 16 years on the basis of a fake caste certificate has been dismissed from service. According to reports, District Basic Education Officer (BSA) Shailesh Kumar has taken this strict action. The dismissed female principal has been identified as Sunaina Gaud, who was currently serving in the capacity of a principal.

According to the sequence of events, Sunaina Gaud was appointed as a teacher at the Utia Primary School in the block area on July 30, 2010. To secure this job, she had submitted a fake Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificate. However, during the investigation, it was revealed that Sunaina Gaud originally belongs to another caste and her caste falls under the Other Backward Class (OBC) category in Uttar Pradesh. Thus, she obtained a government job in the education department by creating a false certificate.

The entire matter came to the notice of the administration based on a complaint. Following the complaint, an official investigation was conducted on the directions of the District Magistrate. The probe confirmed that the ST certificate submitted by Sunaina Gaud was completely fake. Based on this evidence, the District Magistrate's committee officially cancelled the fake certificate in July 2026.

To save her job, Sunaina Gaud appealed against this action in the Allahabad High Court. However, the High Court did not grant her any relief. After failing to get relief from the court, Basic Education Officer Shailesh Kumar took immediate steps to terminate her services and dismissed her.

Beyond the dismissal, the department has now prepared for financial recovery. BSA Shailesh Kumar has ordered that the entire salary paid to her by the department from the date of her appointment on July 30, 2010, until now be recovered. Additionally, he has directed the Block Education Officer to lodge a legal FIR against Sunaina Gaud.

This case has raised serious questions regarding the verification of documents during the recruitment process in the education department, as a person was able to remain in the system for 16 years and reach the position of principal using a fake certificate. Currently, the administrative machinery has initiated the process of salary recovery and legal proceedings.