Shimla: Tightening the noose in the Himachal Pradesh Scholarship Scam, the Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Shimla, has filed two more Supplementary Prosecution Complaints (SPCs) before the Special Court (PMLA), Shimla, against educational trusts accused of laundering scholarship funds meant for SC/ST/OBC students.
The third supplementary complaint (SPC-03) was filed on August 22, 2025, against ICL Hitech Educational Society, its key functionary Sanjiv Kumar Prabhakar, and other co-accused. The society runs the ICL Group of Colleges in Haryana.
The fourth supplementary complaint (SPC-04) was filed on December 17, 2025, against Dev Bhumy Educational Trust, Bhupinder Kumar Sharma, and other co-accused. The trust was running the Dev Bhumy Group of Institutes in Una.
The ED probe was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the CBI, Shimla, into large-scale irregularities in the disbursement of scholarships by the Directorate of Higher Education (DoHE), Shimla under the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme (PMSS).
Investigations revealed that the accused institutes fraudulently siphoned off scholarship funds by certifying students who were never enrolled, had dropped out, or had left courses midway.
To inflate claims, false student details were uploaded on the HP e-Pass portal, including manipulation of courses, caste categories, and showing day scholars as hostellers to draw higher amounts.
According to the ED, the proceeds of crime were used to acquire movable and immovable properties in the names of the accused and their family members.
Earlier searches under the PMLA led to the seizure of incriminating documents, cash of about ₹80 lakh, and freezing of bank balances and fixed deposits worth ₹3.30 crore.
So far, the ED has issued Provisional Attachment Orders for assets worth around ₹30.5 crore, and six persons have been arrested in the case.
Further investigation is underway.
