Himachal scholarship scam: CBI files chargesheet against 20 institutes, 105 individuals

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed chargesheets against 20 institutions and 105 individuals, including several officials, in connection with a multi-crore scam involving the grant of scholarships to Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Class (OBC) students of Himachal Pradesh, as per a statement by the agency on Friday.

The CBI has completed its investigation into the case and stated, “CBI has filed chargesheets against 20 institutions and 105 persons including owners of said institutions, personnel of Directorate of Higher Education, Shimla, bank officials, and other private persons.”

The investigation led to the arrest of 19 individuals, including employees of the Directorate of Higher Education, Shimla, chairman, vice chairman, directors, employees of educational institutes, and bank officials.

The case dates back to 2019 when it was registered by the CBI at the request of the Himachal Pradesh government. It involves private educational institutions in the state allegedly making fake and fraudulent claims of scholarships amounting to approximately Rs. 181 crore between 2013 and 2017.

The investigation was closely monitored by the High Court of Himachal Pradesh, which required periodic status reports.

The scam revolves around the misuse of a scholarship and fee reimbursement scheme launched by the central government and implemented through state governments to assist students from SC, ST, and OBC categories.

The fraudulent activity came to light when it was discovered that students from government schools in the tribal Spiti valley of Himachal’s Lahaul and Spiti district had not received scholarships for five years.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) initiated a money laundering investigation based on an FIR registered by the CBI, which included charges under various sections of the IPC such as criminal breach of trust, cheating by personation, forgery, and using forged documents as genuine, on May 8, 2019.