31 Illegal Appointments Over 10 Years: Maharashtra PWD Exposes Massive Forgery Scam

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, 24th July 2025: A major recruitment scam has come to light in Maharashtra’s Public Works Department (PWD), as Vedantnagar Police have registered a case against two former staffers for allegedly forging appointment letters and enabling at least 31 individuals to illegally secure government jobs over a span of nearly 10 years.

An internal investigation by the PWD revealed that fraudulent documents were used to facilitate illegal appointments across three districts — Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nanded, and Latur. Following the probe, all 31 illegally appointed employees were dismissed over the past month, according to officials.

PWD Executive Engineer Sheshrao Chavan, who filed the official police complaint, confirmed the findings of a departmental inquiry committee. “Once discrepancies were noticed, we immediately initiated a formal inquiry. The committee confirmed that 31 appointments were based on forged documents. All those involved were removed from service,” Chavan said.

Based on Chavan’s complaint, the police have registered a First Information Report (FIR) against a senior clerk and a former junior clerk who were both associated with the PWD. The two are accused of orchestrating a long-running scheme to recruit unqualified individuals into Class-IV posts using forged documentation.

According to police, the scam was carried out between December 5, 2015, and March 20, 2025. Investigators said that 12 people were given jobs under the guise of compassionate appointments, even though none of them met the eligibility criteria — specifically, having a deceased family member who served in the department.

Further, 16 additional appointments were allegedly processed using falsified recommendations from the Ladpange Committee, again involving candidates with no legal claim to such employment benefits. In three more cases, the accused are suspected of forging recruitment documents to falsely claim candidates had cleared official selection processes under the direct recruitment quota.

Inspector Pravina Yadav of Vedantnagar Police Station confirmed that the case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) — Sections 318(4), 336(3), 340(2), and 61 — which pertain to cheating, forgery, and misuse of official documents.

“The investigation is currently underway, and arrests will be made soon,” Yadav said.

As per the police complaint, the accused manipulated official recruitment documents, forged signatures of senior officers — including that of Executive Engineer Chavan himself — and used scanned or digitally altered documents to pass off the appointments as legitimate. Several candidates are believed to have paid significant amounts of money to secure these government jobs.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Police Commissioner Pravin Pawar acknowledged the scale of the scam, saying, “This case reveals deep-rooted manipulation within the system. We’re taking strict action to ensure those responsible are held accountable.”

The FIR notes that these appointments were conducted entirely outside any authorized recruitment drive and that the misuse of authority led to financial fraud and systemic damage within the PWD. Authorities have launched a broader investigation to identify all individuals who benefitted from the scheme and determine the full financial impact of the fraud.