ACB books former Director Tribal Affairs, 7 others, for ‘irregularities’ in distributing scholarships to ST students

ACB Jammu registered a ceremonial lawsuit FIR No. 09/2025 u/s 5(1)(c) (d) r/w conception 5(2) of J&K PC Act, Svt. 2006 & conception 120-B RPC astatine P/S ACB Jammu against (1) M.S. Choudhary, past Director Tribal Affairs J&K, (now retired), (2) Shanaz Akhtar Malik, Catalog Computers, Auquaf Complex Jammu, (3) Humera Banu & Firdous Ahmed, Chirag Institute of IT. Channi Himmat, Jammu (4) Sham Lal Targotra, JKS-Industrial Training institute (ITI), Jindar Mehlu, R.S Pura, (5) Jaffer Hussain Wani, Ever Green Institute of Computer Technology, Shastri Nagar Jammu, (6) Parshotam Bharadwaj. Global Institute of IT, Janipur Jammu, (7) Smt. Ramneek Kour, Pankaj Memorial Charitable Trust for Education and Research, Rajpura Subash Nagar, ( 8 ) Puneet Mahajan, Supertech (India) Computer Education, Talab Tillo and others, into the allegations of gross usurpation of guidelines and releasing of crores of rupees to un-recognized institutes for un-recognized courses portion implementing Post Matric Scholarship, Government of India, sponsored strategy entitled for ST candidates.

During the people of verification conducted into the matter, it revealed that the GOI launched station matric assistance strategy to ST candidates to implicit their acquisition by mode of providing fiscal assistance successful the signifier of assistance amounting ₹18,000 per pupil positive ₹2300 attraction allowance. The nonsubjective down PMS strategy was to supply fiscal assistance to ST students studying astatine station matriculation oregon post-secondary signifier to alteration them to implicit their acquisition and reimbursement of compulsory interest to students charged by recognized Institute. The backstage institutes situated astatine Jammu District managed documents of ST students of far-flung areas and taxable aforesaid to the bureau of Directorate of Tribal Affairs, but the officers/officials of Tribal Affairs Department without checking the genuineness of institutes arsenic good arsenic infrastructure/course contents provided by institutes, adjacent without ensuring the extremity usage of assistance amount, disbursed the assistance interest worthy crores during 2014 to 2018 straight successful the slope accounts of these Institutes.

Verification further reveals that the students against whom outgo released neither sought admittance nor attended the escaped machine course. Some of students though sought admittance nether the supra said strategy but ne'er attended oregon partially attended the said machine course. However, the payment successful the signifier of afloat tuition interest was credited to the accounts of antithetic machine institutions. Furthermore, 1 of the institutes, successful bid to summation the strength, managed the documents of ST students of far-flung areas and filled assistance forms connected their names. Moreover, immoderate fake slope accounts were opened for ST students without their consent and knowledge, arsenic it was mandatory to capable relationship fig successful the signifier for crediting attraction allowance straight successful the accounts of students. Even fewer institutes were not having due accreditation with NIELIT, but the fees were disbursed accordingly etc.

By acting successful this manner, the officers/officials of Directorate of Tribal Affairs Department, by sheer maltreatment of their authoritative positions and successful transgression conspiracy with owners of Institutes/beneficiaries, by mode of manipulating records arsenic good arsenic violating guidelines of Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme, misappropriated immense magnitude of Government funds worthy crores during the twelvemonth 2014 to 2018, arsenic a effect of which a immense nonaccomplishment has been caused to the Government exchequer.

Further probe successful the lawsuit is going on.