Freeship Trick

The Government gives freeship to students belonging to certain castes. A freeship means the student does not pay any fee. The Government pays it to the college. I used to get students asking me to sign on their applications for freeships. I used to sign, because they used to be sent by the clerk who did that work. Then one day a student brought a form that was actually legible. I read the contents and realized that I was attesting signature of the student’s parent or guardian, stating that he had signed in front of me. But the parent or guardian used to be at the native place far away from me. The signature was actually to be attested by some authority at the place where this parent/guardian lived. From that day I stopped signing and guided the students to get someone actually present at the time of signing of the form to attest it. Today another student came for that attestation. I patiently asked her to read that form and understand it. She realized I knew what the contents meant. “Who guided you to take my attestation that your parent signed in front of me?” I asked. “Our departmental office clerk” she replied. “Our clerks know me and that I know the rules. They will never advise you so” I said. “Was it the central office clerk who does the work of freeships?” She mumbled something that could have been a yes or no. “By the way, when did you get this form from the office?” I asked. “Half an hour ago” she said. “Then how did you manage to get your parent’s signature?” I asked. “I went and took the signature” she said. “But your home address on the form is of XXXXXXXXX, I said, which is half a day’s travel from here. Your parents stays there. How could you go there and come back in half an hour?” She kept quiet. After a minute of silence, I asked her, “have you signed for your parent?” She nodded her head affirmatively. Then it dawned on me that all the previous students had been signing as their parents, and that was why the signatures were not attested by government officials of the areas of residence of the respective parents. “When is the last date for receiving of the completed form by the office?” I asked. “Four days later” she said. “How much fee will you not have to pay when you get this freeship?” “Twenty thousand rupees” she answered. “How much money will you spend going home and coming back?” I asked. “Six hundred rupees” she said. “Then either send the form home by speed post and get it back by speed post, or go home and get it signed by your parent yourself. Don’t you know that it is a criminal offence to forge someone’s signature, for which you could be jailed? Have I troubled you in any way in the past that you want to take a revenge on me by making me an accessory to your crime so that I hang along with you?” “She shook her head, wiped the corner of her left eye and went away hopefully to obtain her parent’s signature. But I wonder if she went away just to find anyone else who would attest the signature she had forged, so that all trouble and expense of speedpost or travel would be saved.