JAMMU, May 26: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) of Jammu and Kashmir has booked the then Director of the Tribal Affairs Department (TAD), several officials, and representatives of private institutions for their alleged involvement in a major scholarship scam pertaining to the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students.
According to an ACB spokesperson, a formal case under FIR No. 09/2025 has been registered at Police Station ACB Jammu. The FIR names M.S. Choudhary, the then Director of TAD, along with Shanaz Akhtar Malik (Catalog Computers, Aquaf Complex, Jammu), Humera Banu and Firdous Ahmed (Chirag Institute of IT, Channi Himmat), Sham Lal Targotra (JKS-Industrial Training Institute, Jindar Mehlu, R.S. Pura), Jaffar Hussain Wani (Ever Green Institute of Computer Technology, Shastri Nagar), Parshotam Bhardwaj (Global Institute of IT, Janipur), Ramneek Kour (Pankaj Memorial Charitable Trust for Education and Research, Rajpura, Subash Nagar), and Puneet Mahajan (Supertech India Computer Education, Talab Tillo), among others.
The case revolves around large-scale embezzlement and misuse of government funds allocated under the centrally sponsored Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme between the years 2014 and 2018. This scheme was intended to offer financial assistance to ST students to help them pursue education beyond matriculation. It provided for the disbursement of tuition fees (Rs 18,000) and a maintenance allowance (Rs 2,300) per student.
The investigation so far has revealed that the accused individuals and institutions allegedly disregarded official guidelines by channeling funds to unauthorized and unrecognized institutes. These institutes were found to be running unapproved courses, and the disbursement of funds was done without proper verification of either the institutions’ credentials or the actual enrollment and attendance of students.
The ACB further stated that several private institutes reportedly collected documents of unsuspecting students, particularly from remote and underprivileged tribal areas, and submitted them to the Directorate of Tribal Affairs in order to falsely claim scholarship amounts. In numerous instances, the students neither enrolled in any course nor received any training, yet full scholarship payments were released in their names.
Allegations also include the creation of fake bank accounts in the names of these students—often without their knowledge—to fraudulently withdraw maintenance allowances meant to support their education.
The ACB has taken serious note of these irregularities, which not only led to the wrongful loss of public funds but also undermined a scheme designed to empower underprivileged tribal youth through education. The case is currently under investigation, and more arrests or disclosures are likely as the probe progresses.