Bhubaneswar, 23 June (H.S.): A Sikshya Sahayak engaged under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) in Odisha's Jagatsinghpur district has been dismissed from service after his Scheduled Caste (SC) certificate was cancelled following a detailed inquiry by the district administration.

The termination order was issued by the District Project Office (DPO), Jagatsinghpur, after the Collector-cum-Chief Executive Officer found discrepancies in the teacher’s caste claim and subsequently revoked the caste certificate that had formed the basis of his appointment.

According to official records, Susanta Kumar Mandal, a resident of Goda (Bhajakhia) village under Erasama block, was appointed as a Sikshya Sahayak in 2007 against a post reserved for Scheduled Castes. His appointment was based on a caste certificate issued by the competent revenue authority during the 2006 recruitment process.

Since joining service, Mandal had been working as an untrained teacher under the SSA scheme at B.B. Government High School, Goda.

The matter came under judicial scrutiny following proceedings in the Orissa High Court in W.P.(C) No. 37762 of 2025. Acting on the court’s directions, the Collector-cum-Chief Executive Officer, Jagatsinghpur, re-examined the teacher’s caste status after providing him and other concerned parties an opportunity to be heard.

Following a comprehensive inquiry, the Collector, in an order dated May 14, 2026, concluded that Mandal belongs to the “Tanti” community and not the “Pana Tanti” category, which is recognised as a Scheduled Caste in Odisha. Based on this finding, the caste certificate previously issued in his favour was cancelled.

Officials stated that the teacher had secured employment under the SC reservation quota on the basis of an incorrect caste claim, amounting to misrepresentation and a violation of the eligibility conditions prescribed at the time of recruitment.

Subsequently, the District Project Office declared his appointment invalid and ordered his removal from service with immediate effect.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda