The Directorate of Enforcement (ED), Shimla Zonal Office, has filed two more Supplementary Prosecution Complaints (SPCs) before the Special Court (PMLA), Shimla, in connection with the Himachal Pradesh Scholarship Scam. The chargesheets have been filed against educational institutions and trusts found to be involved in the illegal diversion and laundering of scholarship funds.
According to the ED, SPC No. 03 was filed on August 22, 2025, against ICL Hitech Educational Society, Sanjiv Kumar Prabhakar, and other co-accused. The society runs the ICL Group of Colleges in Haryana and was found to be involved in the offence of money laundering under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Subsequently, SPC No. 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 district of Himachal Pradesh.
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ED Probe Originated from CBI FIR
The ED stated that the investigation was initiated on the basis of an FIR registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Shimla. The FIR pertained to serious irregularities in the disbursement of scholarships under the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme (PMSS) for SC/ST/OBC students by the Directorate of Higher Education (DoHE), Shimla.
Modus Operandi of the Fraud
ED investigations revealed that the accused educational institutions fraudulently claimed scholarship funds in the names of students—
- who were never enrolled in any course, or
- who had left the institute without completing their studies.
To further inflate the scholarship amounts, student data was deliberately manipulated on the HP-e Pass portal (the scholarship portal of DoHE, Shimla). This included—
- changing the course details of students in subsequent years,
- altering caste categories in later years, and
- misrepresenting day scholars as hostel residents,
thereby committing systematic and large-scale fraud.
Assets Acquired from Proceeds of Crime
According to the ED, the Proceeds of Crime (PoC) generated through the scam were used by the accused to acquire movable and immovable properties, which were registered in their own names as well as in the names of family members.
Searches, Seizures and Attachments
Earlier in the case, searches were conducted under the provisions of the PMLA, 2002, leading to—
- seizure of approximately ₹80 lakh in cash,
- freezing of bank balances and fixed deposits worth ₹3.30 crore, and
- issuance of Provisional Attachment Orders for movable and immovable assets valued at approximately ₹30.5 crore.
The ED has also stated that six persons have been arrested so far in connection with the scholarship scam.
Investigation Continues
The ED said that further investigation is underway to trace the complete money trail, identify additional beneficiaries, and examine the role of other individuals and educational institutions involved in the case.