Pune: The CBI has registered a case against the principal, National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakvasla, Dr Om Prakash Shukla; professor (political science) Dr Jagmohan Meher; assistant professor (chemistry) Dr Vanita Puri; assistant professor (mathematics) Dr Rajeev Bansal; and head of department (chemistry) Dr Maheshwar Roy for alleged irregularities in appointment of the teaching faculty.

The FIR in the case was registered on May 8 but it was kept under wraps as President Ram Nath Kovind was scheduled to review the passing out parade of the 134th course on May 30, said sources.

Other unknown NDA faculty members; unknown officials of the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) headquarters and the ministry of defence; and unknown officials of the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) are also under the scanner.

The CBI also undertook a search of the premises including offices and residences of accused persons in Pune.

Officials said that in May 2017, the CBI began a preliminary enquiry, alleging that between 2006 and 2015, 13 NDA teaching faculty were not eligible for the teaching posts of professor, associate professor and reader.

They were selected on the basis of false documents and false information in connivance with unknown officials of the UPSC and IDS headquarters.

The enquiry revealed that Dr Shukla, the then professor (economics); Dr Meher; Dr Puri; Dr Bansal; Dr Roy; and other unknown faculty members of NDA entered into a criminal conspiracy with unknown officials of the UPSC and IDS headquarters for appointing teaching faculty.

The faculty thus appointed on the basis of forged certificates, did not possess the mandatory teaching experience as prescribed by the UPSC and as required by the defence ministry. A FIR was registered based on the findings of the enquiry.