The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) has filed a chargesheet against former Zonal Education Officer (ZEO) Tangdhar, Mohammad Ashraf Bhat, and three other officials for misappropriating ₹8,30,200 in scholarship funds designated for Pahari-speaking and Gujjar-Bakerwal students during the 2010-2011 academic year.
The investigation revealed that the officials inflated beneficiary student numbers and created over 600 fictitious names for Pahari-speaking students and 150 for Gujjar-Bakerwal students to fraudulently obtain excess funds. These actions were carried out under a conspiracy that exploited their official positions, leading to significant losses for the state exchequer.
Additionally, one of the accused, Junior Assistant Mohammad Ashraf Paswal, was found to have directly withdrawn ₹5,00,000 from the embezzled funds. The case stems from FIR No 32/2018, and all accused were presented in court; the next hearing is set for September 10, 2025.
