Thiruvananthapuram | A court has sentenced a former headmaster and ex-clerk of a government higher secondary school to six years of rigorous imprisonment in a fund misappropriation case.

Thiruvananthapuram Vigilance Court Judge Manoj A on Friday sentenced former headmaster K Rajan and former clerk Riyas Kalam of Kilimanoor Government Higher Secondary School to a total of 27 years of rigorous imprisonment under various offences and imposed a fine of Rs 4.54 lakh.

However, the court directed that the sentences would run concurrently.

According to the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau (VACB), during the period from July 2011 to October 2015, Kalam served as clerk and Rajan as headmaster at Kilimanoor Government Higher Secondary School.

While handling office administration, Kalam, in collusion with Rajan, fraudulently included salary bills in the names of two teachers who had retired from service in March 2014 and misappropriated the funds, the VACB said.

They also manipulated salary amounts for teachers and scholarship funds, as well as stipends and lump-sum grants intended for students, officials said.

The VACB said a total amount of Rs 7,88,089 was misappropriated.

An FIR was registered in 2021, naming Kalam as the first accused and Rajan as the second accused.

After completing the investigation, a chargesheet was filed in court, which led to their conviction and sentencing, the VACB said.

Public Prosecutor Veena Satheesan appeared for the VACB during the trial.