In a significant development, the Allahabad High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail application of Shalini Srivastava, the Basic Education Officer (Basic Shiksha Adhikari – BSA) of Deoria. The ruling is connected to the tragic suicide of an assistant teacher, Krishna Mohan Singh, who took his own life earlier this year following alleged systemic harassment and financial extortion.
The order denying the pre-arrest bail was issued by Justice Vikram D Chauhan on Friday, following the court’s rejection of the application on May 27, 2026.
A Tragic End Triggered by Alleged Extortion
According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed by the deceased teacher’s wife, Gudia Singh, the tragic turn of events was the culmination of relentless administrative and financial harassment.
Krishna Mohan Singh was appointed as an assistant teacher at Krishak Laghu Madhyamik Vidyalaya in Madarsan, Gauri Bazaar, Deoria, on July 1, 2016. While his appointment was initially approved, it was later wrongfully cancelled in 2023 alongside two of his colleagues, Omkar Singh and Aparna Tiwari, over various service-related allegations.
Though the teachers successfully challenged this cancellation—securing a High Court ruling in Singh’s favor on April 4, 2022—the relief was short-lived. The District Basic Education Officer terminated their services yet again through fresh orders issued on March 24, 2023, and April 1, 2023.
Once again, the teachers approached the judiciary. On February 13, the High Court quashed those termination orders and directed the BSA to issue fresh administrative orders. However, no such orders were ever produced by the education office.
The ₹16 Lakh Demand and Office Humiliation
The FIR alleges that the administrative delay was weaponized. Sanjeev Singh, a clerk working in the office of the Basic Education Officer, allegedly demanded a massive bribe of ₹16 lakh from the three teachers. He threatened that if the money was not paid, their previous termination orders would be reinstated.
Desperate to save their careers, Krishna and his colleagues paid the demanded amount. Despite this, Shalini Srivastava allegedly used her clerk to demand even more money.
When Krishna expressed his inability to meet these escalating financial demands and asked for a refund of the money already paid, he was summoned to the Deoria office by Srivastava and the clerk on February 20, 2026.
During this meeting, Krishna was allegedly subjected to severe humiliation, targeted harassment, and threats of being framed in a false legal case.
Justice Denied Prior to Death
Tormented by the hostile encounter and ongoing harassment, Krishna Mohan Singh ended his life by hanging from a ceiling fan during the intervening night of February 20-21, 2026, leaving behind a suicide note detailing his ordeal.
After reviewing the case files, arguments presented by the legal counsel, and the gravity of the allegations linking the administration to the teacher’s extreme step, Justice Vikram D Chauhan denied the anticipatory bail plea, paving the way for further investigation into the conduct of the education department officials.
