A complaint has been lodged through the Chief Minister’s special grievance WhatsApp number alleging that an education official in Kalligudi, Madurai, accepted a ₹40,000 bribe to process the pension benefits of a retired teacher.
[Madurai]: A London-based engineer has officially lodged a complaint through Chief Minister Vijay’s special grievance WhatsApp number against an education official who allegedly accepted a ₹40,000 bribe to process the pension benefits of his mother, a retired government school teacher in Madurai.
Retired teacher Seenithai, a resident of NGO Colony in Virudhunagar, served as a Secondary Grade Teacher at a Government Primary and Middle School in Kalligudi Union, Madurai district, and retired in May this year. It is alleged that Kalligudi Block Educational Officer (BEO) Muthukumar demanded and received ₹40,000 to issue the No Objection Certificate (NOC) and No Due Certificate required for the approval of her pension benefits.
Despite paying the bribe, the officials allegedly continued to delay the release of her monthly pension. Following this, her son Satheesh, who works as an engineer in London, contacted the special WhatsApp grievance number announced by Chief Minister Vijay to curb bribery in government offices and submitted a complaint. In the complaint, he requested immediate action to ensure that his mother’s pension is sanctioned and that the ₹40,000 allegedly paid as a bribe is recovered and returned to them.
Speaking about the incident, teacher Seenithai stated that the money was collected through Headmaster Vasudevan. She further said that her other son Rohith, who works in Dubai, had transferred ₹30,000, while she personally paid the remaining amount. However, Block Educational Officer Muthukumar has categorically denied all the allegations. He explained that an inquiry conducted by the Tirumangalam District Educational Officer (DEO) found no truth in the complaint against him, and a report to that effect had already been submitted.
Jayachandran, District Secretary of the All India Teachers’ Federation, expressed concern over the issue. He pointed out that ever since the IFHRMS system was implemented, pension proposals can only be processed using the concerned officials’ user credentials and passwords, leaving teachers with no alternative but to pay bribes in certain situations.
Chief Minister Vijay has warned that strict action will be taken against those demanding bribes in government offices, making this incident particularly significant. Since the current inquiry has reportedly relied only on the statement of the accused official, there is a growing demand that education department authorities conduct a transparent investigation by also recording the statements of the complainant, retired teacher Seenithai, and her family.
