Following a 2019 High Court Order, the CBI has now taken over the investigation into the 2016 discovery of 400,000 fake student admissions in Haryana government schools.
In Short:
- The CBI has officially registered an FIR for the 2016 fake student admission scandal in Haryana.
- The Punjab and Haryana High Court transferred the case to the CBI on November 2, 2019, due to slow progress by the state vigilance bureau.
- The High Court had previously uncovered that out of 22 lakh reported students, 4 lakh were fake.
- The Supreme Court recently dismissed the CBI’s request to return the case to the state police, leading to the new FIR.
- The CBI is tasked with conducting a thorough and fast-paced investigation, as ordered by the High Court.
On Friday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officially registered an FIR related to a significant scandal involving fake student admissions in Haryana government schools. This development follows a 2019 order from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which had directed the CBI to take over the investigation from the state vigilance bureau.
The controversy began in 2016 when it was discovered that out of the 22 lakh students reported to be enrolled in government schools, around 4 lakh were found to be fake. These fake admissions were made to falsely inflate student numbers and misappropriate funds intended for educational programs and benefits for underprivileged students.
In 2019, the High Court criticized the slow pace of the investigation by the state vigilance bureau and ordered the case to be transferred to the CBI for a more efficient and detailed probe. The court had also instructed the state vigilance to hand over all relevant documents to the CBI within a week and required the CBI to submit a progress report within three months.
Initially, the CBI had asked the Supreme Court to return the case to the state police, arguing that the investigation would require significant manpower and resources. However, the Supreme Court recently dismissed this petition, which allowed the CBI to proceed with its investigation as per the High Court’s directives.
The High Court had previously established that benefits meant for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, including financial aid and mid-day meals, were being misused due to these fake admissions. It had ordered a senior officer from the state vigilance bureau to examine these issues, resulting in seven FIRs being filed based on its recommendations.
Now, with the case officially in the CBI’s hands, the agency is set to tackle the investigation head-on, aiming to uncover the full extent of the fraud and hold the responsible parties accountable.
Summary
The CBI has begun investigating a major fraud case involving fake student admissions in Haryana schools, following a 2019 High Court order. The scandal, discovered in 2016, involved 4 lakh fake students out of a reported 22 lakh. The High Court had transferred the case to the CBI for a more effective investigation after criticizing the slow progress of the state vigilance bureau. The CBI is now responsible for thoroughly exploring the case and reporting back to the court.