Heeding the appeal of the Patna High Court, as many as 1,400 teachers of the State who had managed to get jobs with fake degree certificates, have resigned.

While hearing a petition on Monday, the HC had appealed to all such teachers to resign on their own within a week to avoid arrest and recovery of their salaries. The High Court also asked the State government to put out advertisements in newspapers to ensure that the teachers got the message.

A large number of teachers appointed on contract had resorted to the fraud. Later, hundreds of them were caught and dismissed from service after verification of their documents. The court also expressed displeasure over the tardy pace of investigation. The State Vigilance Department is probing the appointment of teachers and verifying their certificates.