ACB Jammu Files Case Against Former Tribal Affairs Director,

By Pravin Kumar

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Jammu has registered a case against former Director of Tribal Affairs, M.S. Choudhary, and several others for alleged gross violations in the implementation of the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme for Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, resulting in the misappropriation of crores of rupees.

The FIR, numbered 09/2025, was filed under sections 5(1)(c), 5(1)(d), and 5(2) of the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act, 2006, and section 120-B of the Ranbir Penal Code at the ACB Police Station in Jammu.

The accused include M.S. Choudhary, then Director of Tribal Affairs, along with proprietors of several private institutes: Shanaz Akhtar Malik of Catalog Computers, Auquaf Complex, Jammu; Humera Banu and Firdous Ahmed of Chirag Institute of IT, Channi Himmat, Jammu; Sham Lal Targotra of JKS Industrial Training Institute, Jindar Mehlu, R.S. Pura; Jaffer Hussain Wani of Ever Green Institute of Computer Technology, Shastri Nagar, Jammu; Parshotam Bharadwaj of Global Institute of IT, Janipur, Jammu; Ramneek Kour of Pankaj Memorial Charitable Trust for Education and Research, Rajpura Subash Nagar; and Puneet Mahajan of Supertech (India) Computer Education, Talab Tillo, among others.

The Government of India’s Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme aimed to provide financial assistance to ST students pursuing post-matriculation education, offering Rs. 18,000 per student plus a Rs. 2,300 maintenance allowance to cover compulsory fees charged by recognized institutes. However, an ACB investigation revealed that between 2014 and 2018, the accused allegedly disbursed crores of rupees to unrecognized institutes for unapproved courses, bypassing the scheme’s guidelines.

According to the ACB, officials of the Tribal Affairs Department failed to verify the legitimacy of the institutes or their infrastructure and course content. Funds were directly credited to the bank accounts of these institutes without ensuring the scholarship amounts were used appropriately. The investigation further uncovered that many students listed as beneficiaries neither sought admission nor attended the computer courses for which funds were released. In some cases, students who enrolled attended only partially, yet full tuition fees were credited to the institutes.

Shockingly, one institute allegedly fabricated documents of ST students from remote areas to inflate enrollment numbers and secure scholarship funds. Additionally, fake bank accounts were opened in students’ names without their consent to facilitate the transfer of maintenance allowances, a mandatory requirement under the scheme. Some institutes lacked proper accreditation from the National Institute of Electronics and Information Technology (NIELIT), yet still received payments.

“By acting in this manner, the officers of the Directorate of Tribal Affairs, in criminal conspiracy with institute owners, abused their positions and manipulated records, violating the guidelines of the Post-Matric Scholarship Scheme. This led to the misappropriation of government funds worth crores, causing significant loss to the public exchequer,” the ACB statement read.

The ACB has initiated a thorough investigation to uncover the full extent of the scam and identify additional individuals involved. This case follows similar probes by the ACB, including a 2024 case against Choudhary and other officials for misappropriating Rs. 1.66 crore under the same scheme in Rajouri and Poonch districts, highlighting a pattern of systemic fraud in the Tribal Affairs Department.
The ongoing investigation aims to hold those responsible accountable and recover the misappropriated funds, as the ACB continues its crackdown on corruption in Jammu and Kashmir.