Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
In a bizarre incident, the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) team caught red-handed a headmaster of an ISO certified zilla parishad’s primary school in Satara while accepting a bribe of Rs 20,000 through mediator, from a lady teacher against sanctioning of her earned leave (EL) on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the ACB has detained the intermediary and the headmaster and the process to file a case against them at Satara Police Station was underway till late in the night.
The names of those nabbed by ACB include headmaster Somnath Bhaguji Bhawale (52, Vasant Vihar, Beed Bypass) and Ganesh Ramnath Kothimbire (26, Satara village). Ganesh, who accepted the bribe, works at the school as an honorary computer operator, said the ACB officials.
ACB sources said that the complainant female teacher had applied for EL. Bhawale, through Kothimbire, demanded a bribe of ₹20,000 for approving the leave. The teacher lodged a complaint with ACB on Wednesday (September 10). Following this, the team conducted a sting operation at the school and confirmed that a ₹20,000 bribe had been demanded for leave approval. Acting on the headmaster’s instruction, the complainant handed over the amount to Kothimbire, who was then caught red-handed along with the Bhawale. The team seized ₹20,000 in cash and two mobile phones from them.
The operation was conducted under the guidance of Superintendent of Police (SP) Madhuri Kangne, additional SP Shashikant Singare, and deputy SP Suresh Naiknaware, with investigation led by deputy SP Sangita S Patil, along with team comprising Sachin Barse, Rajendra Nandile, Dipak Egale, and C N Bagul.
School’s national reputation
The ZP school in Satara is nationally renowned. It is the first ZP school in India to receive ISO certification, an honour that adds prestige to the school’s name. The school sees a high volume of parental applications for admission. However, the misbehavior of Somnath Bhavale, who assumed the post of principal just a few months ago, has recently caused significant problems for the school.