Maharashtra minister Dadaji Bhuse on Tuesday announced that a special investigation team (SIT) will probe the irregularities in recruitment done by the school education department.

Bhuse informed the state legislative assembly that the probe team will comprise senior IAS and IPS officers with a legal background, along with experts.

The team will be given time four to five months for the investigation, he said.

Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Ajay Chaudhari and others raised the issue through a calling attention notice.

The notice stated that more than 1,000 teachers and non-teaching staff had been recruited in the last few years in Nagpur and other districts, and 580 of them were found to be ineligible.

In the Nagpur division alone, Rs 100 crore from government funds were wasted on the salaries of ineligible staffers.

Chaudhari pointed out that criminal cases were registered against office-bearers of 12 educational institutions, and a probe had been ordered against them and officials of the education department.

He further said that ineligible teachers were being paid salaries in several districts since 2012.

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