Bihar Education Department Audit Flags Alleged ₹1.85 Crore HRMS Irregularities Across Three Districts

Alleged unauthorised access to online portals, inflated salary allowances and direct bank transfers have come under scrutiny in the Bihar Education Department’s internal audits of its Human Resource Management System (HRMS), raising concerns over the management of government funds and digital salary payments.

The department’s internal audit findings detail three cases in Nawada, Patna and Bhagalpur involving alleged manipulation of salary records, misuse of login credentials and payments purportedly made in the names of non-existent teachers. Based on the amounts cited in complaints and published reports, the cases involve alleged irregular payments totalling approximately ₹1.85 crore.

Police investigations and departmental proceedings have followed, with at least four officials suspended, according to published reports.

Bihar Education Minister Mithilesh Tiwari told The Indian Express that the state government was auditing all 38 districts to identify irregularities and strengthen the online payment system.

“I have asked officials to complete the internal audit by mid-November. We are also engaging experts to prevent fudging of the HRMS system. The findings of three case studies raise serious concerns and have also alarmed us to devise a better system of online payments. Our crackdown on corrupt teachers and officials would continue,” he said.

Nawada: Teacher Allegedly Received Inflated Salary Payments

An internal financial and portal audit in Nawada allegedly uncovered irregularities involving salary payments to a primary school teacher in Beladih, Rajauli.

An FIR was registered at Nawada Town Police Station on October 13, 2026, under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to criminal breach of trust and forgery, as well as Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, as amended in 2018.

The complaint, filed by the Nawada District Education Officer, named the teacher, a clerk designated as the portal’s “Maker” and a head clerk designated as the “Checker” as accused.

According to the FIR, the Block Education Officer (BEO) of Rajauli had approved a gross monthly salary of ₹46,772 for the teacher for April 2025. However, the Maker and Checker allegedly increased the payout to ₹4,91,772 by adding an unauthorised allowance of ₹4,52,222 under the head “Other Allowances”.

A similar discrepancy was allegedly detected in May 2025. Although the approved salary was ₹46,772, the teacher reportedly received ₹3,49,500 after the addition of unauthorised allowances, the FIR stated.

The complaint also alleged that ₹2,86,000 was transferred to the teacher from the State Bank of India’s Nawada account under the Samagra Shiksha fund. According to investigators, the payment was not authorised as part of her salary, which was to be processed through the HRMS portal following her promotion to special teacher.

The FIR put the total alleged unauthorised payments to the teacher at ₹10,43,950.

Investigators also examined a transaction of ₹1 lakh made on May 20, 2025, from the teacher’s SBI account to a Punjab National Bank account held by a person named Satish Kumar. Police suspected that the account holder might be the same person who served as the office head clerk and portal Checker, but the identity and alleged connection require confirmation.

The investigators argued that the alleged excess payments of around ₹10 lakh could not be explained as a simple clerical error. The allegations remain subject to investigation.

Patna: Clerk Suspended Over Alleged ₹76.72 Lakh Irregularities

In Patna, District Education Officer Yogesh Kumar suspended Vijay Kumar Vidyarthi, a clerk at FNS Academy in Gulzarbagh, on October 14, 2026, over alleged financial irregularities involving ₹76,71,983 in government and departmental funds.

According to the suspension order, Vidyarthi allegedly used the DEO’s official Maker Login ID to make unauthorised entries in the HRMS portal and generate excess payments.

The allegations include cheating, criminal conspiracy and criminal breach of trust.

Following the suspension, Vidyarthi’s headquarters was shifted to the Office of the Block Education Officer in Ghoswari. His subsistence allowance was made subject to verified attendance reports while departmental proceedings and a formal charge sheet were to follow.

Copies of the suspension order were sent to the headmaster of FNS Academy, the Patna Treasury Officer and other officials concerned.

The case has raised questions about the safeguards governing official login credentials and the approval process for salary disbursements through the department’s digital systems.

Bhagalpur: Payments Allegedly Made in Names of Fictitious Teachers

Bhagalpur has emerged as another focus of the investigation, with allegations involving unauthorised HRMS transactions and payments purportedly made to fictitious teachers.

In an order dated October 21, 2026, Education Department Director (Administration) Vijay Kumar Pandey stated that Shashi Chandan Choudhary, the district programme officer, had been booked by Jogsar Police Station on October 8 over alleged unauthorised payments through the HRMS portal in the name of a fictitious teacher.

Choudhary was arrested a day later, according to the order. The amount allegedly withdrawn in this case was not specified.

In a separate case in Bhagalpur, the district education officer was suspended over an alleged unauthorised payment of ₹98,12,773 to a fictitious teacher named Tanushree over several months. A case was registered at Jogsar Police Station on October 8, 2026.

The allegations point to potential weaknesses in the verification of teacher records, the authorisation of salary payments and the monitoring of transactions made through the online system.

Government Orders Audit Across All 38 Districts

The three cases have prompted the Bihar Education Department to expand its scrutiny of the HRMS platform across the state.

The internal audit is expected to examine salary records, user access permissions, payment approvals and transfers made through government education funds. The department is also engaging technical experts to identify vulnerabilities and prevent the manipulation of online records.

The alleged irregularities raise questions about how excess payments could be generated despite existing approval procedures and whether sufficient checks were in place to prevent unauthorised changes to salary entries.

The government has said it intends to strengthen digital payment safeguards and continue action against officials and teachers found responsible for wrongdoing.

With the audit covering all 38 districts, further cases could emerge as investigators examine financial transactions and portal records. For now, the allegations in Nawada, Patna and Bhagalpur remain under investigation, with police and departmental authorities expected to establish the extent of the irregularities and determine responsibility.