Biggest Scholarship scam: CBI files case against ED official over crores in illegal assets
Shimla, Dec 25,
Major escalation in the ongoing Rs 600 crore SC/ST Scholarship scam, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has booked Enforcement Directorate (ED) officer, Vishal Deep and his brother Vikas Deep, in a dis appropriate asset case alleging that the duo amassed wealth far more than their known income, even as the ED continues its action in the State’s largest known Scholarship fraud.
The CBI said a preliminary inquiry commenced on August 21, 2025, scrutinising the income and expenditure of the two brothers between March 1 and December 31, 2024. During this nine-month period, their combined assets allegedly surged by 231.48 per cent, rising from about Rs 9.20 lakh to Rs 44.44 lakh, despite reported earnings of approximately Rs 40.28 lakh. Their expenditure exceeded Rs 98.29 lakh, according to agency records, prompting the formal registration of a disproportionate assets case on December 23, 2025.
Investigators allege the accused spent lavishly on luxury vehicles — including a Mahindra Scorpio-N and a Volkswagen Virtus — acquired a flat in the Omaxe project in New Chandigarh, and made significant investments and personal expenditures that could not be justified by their known sources of income.
Also read:CBI arrests own DSP in ₹2.5 Crore bribery case Involving ED official
The CBI’s action stems from the larger scholarship scam, where Vishal Deep — then investigating alleged irregularities — is accused of threatening individuals with arrest and demanding a bribe of Rs 2.5 crore. According to the CBI, a trap laid on December 25, 2024 led to Vikasdeep’s arrest after Vishal Deep allegedly fled the scene; Vishal Deep was later apprehended. A CBI Deputy Superintendent of Police was also arrested for his alleged involvement but was subsequently released on bail.
The controversy has deepened with counter-allegations: accused persons have blamed certain CBI officers of corruption and of shielding some educational institutions under ED scrutiny, while several institutions have publicly criticised Vishal Deep along with a few ED officers and private individuals for alleged misconduct during investigations.
Meanwhile, the ED has maintained that its probe arises from a CBI FIR lodged in Shimla over irregularities in disbursing scholarships under the Post Matric Scholarship Scheme for SC/ST/OBC students. In its action so far, the ED has filed three supplementary prosecution complaints under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), attached assets worth about Rs 30.5 crore, seized Rs 80 lakh in cash, frozen deposits of Rs 3.30 crore, and arrested six persons.
Former Himachal Pradesh Education Secretary and IAS officer Dr. Arun Sharma has described the scam as the biggest scholarship fraud in any state, eclipsing even the notorious Bihar fodder scam, underscoring the scale of alleged financial malpractice and administrative failure in the scholarship disbursement machinery.
The CBI’s fresh action against an ED official investigating the case marks a rare cross-agency conflict, raising questions about integrity, oversight and the conduct of central investigative agencies even as both agencies pursue different facets of the sprawling Himachal scholarship scandal.
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The HimachalScape Bureau comprises seasoned journalists from Himachal Pradesh with over 25 years of experience in leading media conglomerates such as The Times of India and United News of India. Known for their in-depth regional insights, the team brings credible, research-driven, and balanced reportage on Himachal’s socio-political and developmental landscape.
