SRINAGAR: The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) today presented a comprehensive chargesheet before the Additional Special Judge Anti-Corruption Court Baramulla against the then Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) Tangdhar, Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, and three other officials, in connection with the alleged misappropriation of over Rs 8.3 lakh in scholarship funds intended for Pahari-speaking and Gujjar-Bakerwal students during the 2010-2011 financial year.
The case, stemming from an investigation initiated by the then Vigilance Organisation Kashmir (now ACB Kashmir), revealed a calculated conspiracy to defraud the state exchequer. Mohammad Ashraf Bhat (then In-charge ZEO Tangdhar), Mohammad Ashraf Paswal (then Junior Assistant), Razia Bano (then Junior Assistant), and Shafiqa Rafiq (then Zonal Gender Coordinator), are accused of abusing their official positions to dishonestly and fraudulently inflate the number of beneficiary students. This led to the unauthorised procurement of excess funds from the Chief Education Officer (CEO) Kupwara, which were subsequently misappropriated.
Investigations established that these public servants inserted over 600 fictitious names of Pahari-speaking students and more than 150 fictitious names of Gujjar and Bakerwal students into the scholarship disbursement registers. Funds were then fraudulently shown as disbursed to these non-existent beneficiaries, with the actual money being siphoned off by the accused. The total misappropriated amount stands at Rs 8,30,200, resulting in significant pecuniary gains for the accused and a corresponding loss to the state exchequer.
Further inquiry revealed that the accused ZEO and other officials deceitfully obtained signatures on utilization certificates and expenditure statements from the then MLA Tangdhar and a Member of the Advisory Board, misleading them into believing that the scholarships had been distributed solely among legitimate students.
A notable revelation from the investigation is the direct involvement of Junior Assistant Mohammad Ashraf Paswal, who allegedly received Rs 5,00,000 directly. This amount was credited to his personal J&K Bank account in Tangdhar and subsequently withdrawn in ten instalments of Rs 50,000 each before being misappropriated. It is pertinent to mention that Mohammad Ashraf Paswal is already facing trial in the Anti-Corruption Court Baramulla in a separate case concerning disproportionate assets.
Following the completion of investigations and after obtaining the necessary prosecution sanction, the chargesheet against all four accused was presented in court. The accused were brought before the court in custody along with the challan and were subsequently released on personal bond. The court has scheduled the next hearing for September 10, 2025.
