DEHRADUN: The Enforcement Directorate has provisionally attached movable and immovable assets worth Rs 13.83 crore in Uttarakhand’s high-profile SC/ST post-matric scholarship scam, citing large-scale misuse of public funds through bogus claims.
The action stems from an FIR filed by Uttarakhand Police and covers alleged irregularities between 2011-12 and 2016-17 in the centrally sponsored scholarship scheme for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students.
According to the ED sources, several private institutes claimed scholarships in the names of ineligible or non-existent students. Those under the scanner include Motherhood Institute of Management & Technology in Roorkee, RIMS in Haridwar, and Mahavir Institute of Technology in Meerut.
Investigators found that the District Social Welfare Office, Haridwar, processed 6,208 scholarship claims linked to these institutes. Of this, Rs 27.98 crore was disbursed — Rs 19.74 crore directly to institute accounts and Rs 8.24 crore to the bank accounts opened in students’ names.
“Verification of records revealed serious irregularities,” an ED official said.
“In many cases, admissions existed only on paper. Students never appeared for exams, were not on university rolls, or were not enrolled in recognised courses.”
Of the 6,208 claims examined, 2,895 were found to be fake, causing an estimated loss of Rs 13.83 crore to the exchequer, the agency said.
The probe also found that several student bank accounts were allegedly controlled by the management of the institute. Scholarship funds credited to those accounts were later transferred to institute accounts or withdrawn in cash.
The role of Manika Sharma is under scrutiny. The ED has alleged her involvement in the utilisation and diversion of scholarship funds.
The attached assets include fixed deposits, land parcels, and buildings of educational institutions in the Haridwar-Roorkee belt.
This is the sixth attachment order in the case. The ED has been investigating the scam since 2020 and has already filed five prosecution complaints, or chargesheets, before the PMLA court in Dehradun.
“The investigation is ongoing. The role of other individuals linked to the scam is being examined,” the agency said.
Officials added that further attachments and arrests cannot be ruled out as the money trail is traced.
