Prime Accused Caught in ₹2.74-Crore Hathras Scholarship Scam After 14 Years

In a major breakthrough, the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of Uttar Pradesh has nabbed one of the prime accused in the now-sun-back ₹2.74-crore Hathras scholarship scam, almost 14 years after the alleged misappropriation happened.

Rajesh Kumar, alias Rajiv Gupta, the manager of Shri Krishna PG College in Hathras, was arrested by the Etah EOW team on July 30. His arrest is a milestone in the case of the scam involving the 2009-10 academic session in which scholarship money for backward class students from Class 8 to postgraduate level was purportedly embezzled by a ring of private college managers and officials.

However, the fraud was unearthed ₹2.74 crore of government money that was sanctioned to provide education for poor children. On March 8, 2011, the complaint was first filed against Rajesh Kumar and others at the Mursan police station in Hathras under sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code for criminal conspiracy, cheating, forgery, and breach of trust.

Having accusations of a wider corruption network, the case was transferred to the Economic Offences Wing on April 24, 2014, having being investigated by district officials initially.

EOW officers disclosed that 33 people—seven government servants and 26 private individuals—have been booked so far in the case. With the arrest of Rajesh Kumar, 11 people have been held so far. Plans are afoot to track down and arrest the remaining 22 accused, who are still on the run.

This arrest follows the state's ongoing tightening of the noose on financial malpractices in the education sector, especially schemes meant for disadvantaged communities. The authorities claim the probe is being expedited to ensure justice is served in a case that has seen over a decade of delays.