New Delhi, Feb 13 (IANS): The Delhi High Court on Tuesday called upon the Arvind Kejriwal-led government to respond to a plea seeking an investigation into the selection process of 35 newly recruited government school principals.

The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition claims that the candidates managed to secure their positions through malicious misrepresentation and illegal means.

The petitioner, Navendu Charitable Trust, accuses the Delhi government's Department of Education of failing to properly scrutinise the documents submitted by these candidates, resulting in their erroneous selection.

The court had previously directed the petitioner to include the accused individuals as parties to the case.

According to the petition, some of the selected candidates submitted fake Economically Weaker Section (EWS) certificates despite having an annual family income above Rs 8 lakh, while others allegedly presented fake experience documents to take advantage of reservations for Other Backward Classes (OBC).

The plea seeks a probe into these allegations promptly, as the selected candidates are currently on probation with a monthly salary exceeding Rs 1.75 lakh.

It argues that allowing them to become permanent would complicate the investigation further.

The petition speaks about the importance school principals hold in shaping the future of children and condemns any corruption in their selection process.

It accuses the Delhi government's education department of neglecting its duty to verify the submitted records, leading to the selection of misrepresented candidates.

In light of these allegations, the plea seeks a direction from the Delhi government to conduct a thorough investigation into the selection of these candidates before their probation period ends, ensuring fairness and transparency in the process.

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on July 8.