Prayagraj: Boys' High School acting principal dismissed over fake MA marksheet

PRAYAGRAJ: David Luke, the acting principal of the noted Boys’ High School (BHS) in Prayagraj, has been dismissed from his position for allegedly submitting a forged postgraduate degree, officials said on Tuesday. According to an official statement by Bishop Morris Edgar Dan of the Diocese of Lucknow, Church of North India, Luke's dismissal order has been enforced with immediate effect.

Luke has been directed to hand over his responsibilities to the school’s senior-most teacher. BHS is managed by the Allahabad High School Society, and as chairman of the society since 2010, Bishop Dan appointed Luke as acting principal on August 11, 2010.

On April 16, 2012, an advertisement was published to fill the post of principal. Luke also applied, but since no candidate was found suitable during the interviews, the appointment could not be finalized, and Luke continued in the acting capacity, the statement said.

FIR registered

However, it was later discovered that the MA marksheet submitted by Luke with his application was forged. Based on this, an FIR was registered at the Civil Lines police station against Luke, his elder son, and an unidentified person under IPC sections 419 (impersonation), 420 (cheating), 467 (forgery of valuable security), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 471 (using forged document as genuine), and 120-B (criminal conspiracy).

BHS is one of Prayagraj's oldest and most prominent educational institutions, boasting a distinguished alumni that includes notable figures like actor Amitabh Bachchan, Supreme Court Judge Markandey Katju, and former prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh.