ACB chargesheets former ZEO, officials for Rs 8.3 lakh scholarship fraud

Srinagar, Jul 03: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed a chargesheet against the former Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) Tangdhar, Kupwara, Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, along with other officials, for misappropriation of approximately Rs 8.3 lakh in scholarship funds intended for Pahari-speaking and Gujjar-Bakerwal students during 2010-2011.According to an official statement, the investigation was initiated after allegations of fraud and embezzlement related to the disbursement of scholarship funds in Education Zone Tangdhar. The verification, conducted by the Vigilance Organization Kashmir (now ACB Kashmir), revealed that during 2010-11, the accused officials, including Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, then dealing clerk Mohammad Ashraf Paswal, Razia Bano, and Shafiqa Rafiq, conspired to inflate beneficiary figures dishonestly. They manipulated records to inflate the number of students eligible for scholarships, thereby claiming excess funds from the Chief Education Officer, Kupwara, the ACB said.The investigation established that these officials, abusing their official positions, inserted fictitious names into disbursement registers—over 600 names belonging to Pahari-speaking students and more than 150 from Gujjar and Bakerwal communities—resulting in the fraudulent disbursement and subsequent misappropriation of the funds.Specifically, one accused, Junior Assistant Mohammad Ashraf Paswal, received Rs 5,00,000 directly, which he credited to his personal account in J&K Bank Tangdhar and later withdrew in cash across ten instalments of Rs 50,000 each, the investigation revealed, adding, “It was also found that signatures on utilisation certificates and expenditure statements were fraudulently obtained from an MLA and Member of the Advisory Board, misleading them into believing the scholarship had been properly distributed among genuine students.”The total misappropriated amount is Rs 8,30,200, which constitutes criminal misconduct under the Jammu and Kashmir Prevention of Corruption Act, along with charges of forgery, conspiracy, and using forged documents under the Indian Penal Code.The investigation uncovered that the accused officials created fictitious student names to withdraw and misappropriate the scholarship funds. It was also revealed that the accused officials falsely obtained signatures on official documents, claiming the funds were distributed to legitimate students.The case has been registered under relevant sections, and the chargesheet has been presented before the Anti-Corruption Court in Baramulla. The accused, including the former ZEO, were produced in court in custody and subsequently released on personal bonds. The next hearing is scheduled for September 10, 2025.