ambala spending funds amounting to rs 36 lakh while intentionally ignoring the instructions of the higher authorities landed 36 principals of government schools and a former district education officer deo in the dock who are now facing criminal prosecutionin a bid to cover up the wrong committed by them the principals manipulated to divert funds collected from hundreds of students for parent teachers association pta fund to repay the amount utilized by themthe process for initiating criminal action against the principals and the then deo jile singh attri who is currently posted at directorate followed the final inspection carried out by joint director education department earlier this weekwe have almost finalized the probe and are in the process of getting the criminal case registered against those who have been found guilty r p yadav the joint director school education department saidsources said the initiative by education department has sent principals into a tizzy to add to their worries the teachers union as well principals union have expressed inability to support them in this issuecause of action began in the month of february 2010 when the school education department released the grant of rs 1 lakh each for the schools identified by them across the state for necessary repairs of school playgrounds within a week after releasing the funds the school education directorate issued another communication asked the deos not to untilse the amount till further orders unlike other districts where deos chose to hold back the amount the principals of 38 schools identified in ambala and deo submitted the utlization certificate to directoratethis raised suspicion of authorities in education department who ordered a high level probe to nail the guilty while the probe was in progress acting on the advice of the then deo the principals deposited the amount by diverting the funds from pta saving account of the students this was the blatant misuse of powers and manipulation of funds amounts to cheating sources said