The Crime Branch of Odisha Police arrested Manoj Kumar Padhy, the former Director of Teacher Education (TE) and State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), in connection with irregularities in publishing new textbooks for classes I to VIII. The arrest followed a complaint by Madhusmita Sahoo, the current Director of TE & SCERT, leading to a probe into a criminal conspiracy related to the textbook preparation process.
Padhy, an OAS (SS) officer, allegedly neglected his official duties during his tenure, approving and forwarding textbooks for publication without ensuring their accuracy. This negligence resulted in textbooks with errors, causing an estimated loss of around Rs 175 crore to the state exchequer and harming public interest. Padhy underwent extensive questioning before his arrest.
As evidence emerged against Padhy, he was formally arrested under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. Following his arrest, he was set to appear before the Court of the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC-III) in Cuttack. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had ordered a criminal investigation into the textbook errors, leading to the suspension of Padhy and other officials involved in the textbook approval process.
