Cuttack: Four more officials moved the Orissa High Court on Tuesday seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the textbook error case, which is being probed by the state Crime Branch.
The applicants for anticipatory bail include three senior officials of the Directorate of Teacher Education (DTE) and the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).
The applicants have been identified as Dilip Sahu, Pralipta Mishra, Bharati Tudu, and Kishore Kar. Earlier, Anupam Ghosh and Asim Kumar Ghosh from the publishing agency involved in the case had reportedly approached the court for anticipatory bail.
Stepped up investigation and legal action by the Crime Branch in the case appeared to have prompted the officials to move bail applications.
On July 14, the Crime Branch arrested former SCERT Director Manoj Padhi after sustained interrogation. He had been placed under suspension prior to his arrest.
Subsequently, a Crime Branch team led by SP Narendra Behera visited the SCERT headquarters on July 18 to examine official records and documents. Officials scrutinised several files to ascertain how the errors occurred in the textbooks.
Sources said the investigation at SCERT followed the seizure of crucial documents during searches at the offices of Odisha School Education Programme Authority (OSEPA) and Odisha Textbook Preparation and Marketing (OTPM). At the OTPM office, officials seized tender-related files, official correspondence from SCERT, and other documents related to the printing and publication process.
Officials cross-verified these records with SCERT documents to establish procedural lapses.
