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A special Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) court in Chandigarh has flagged 332 missing pages in the Enforcement Directorate’s prosecution documents in a ₹2.5 crore bribery case linked to the alleged ₹181 crore Himachal Pradesh scholarship scam.
What Did the Court Find?
In an order dated November 10, special judge Bhawna Jain recorded that pages 3,425 to 3,756 were missing from a document relied upon by the prosecution. The discrepancy was identified by the court’s record official, known as the Ahlmad, and subsequently confirmed by the ED’s special public prosecutor.
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The court consequently proceeded on the assumption that the missing pages did not form part of the complaint submitted before it.
What Happens Next?
The court has scheduled January 5, 2027, for a preliminary hearing to determine whether the accused should be summoned.
Notices have been ordered under the first proviso to Section 223(1) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), allowing the accused an opportunity to be heard before the court considers summoning them.
The court also dispensed with preliminary evidence because the complaint was filed through ED assistant director Bijender Dayal, an authorised public servant. His personal appearance was exempted, with the special public prosecutor directed to represent him.
What Is the Bribery Case?
The proceedings concern allegations that former ED assistant director Vishal Deep and others were involved in a ₹2.5 crore bribery arrangement connected to the scholarship scam investigation.
The Central Bureau of Investigation filed a separate chargesheet in February 2025 against four individuals, including Vishal Deep, his brother Vikasdeep, cousin Neeraj and CBI deputy superintendent Balbir Singh. The allegations centre on attempts to obtain money from private educational institutions in connection with the investigation.
How Did the Scholarship Scam Begin?
The underlying ₹181 crore case concerns alleged irregularities in scholarship funds disbursed to educational institutions across Himachal Pradesh between 2012 and 2017.
The CBI began investigating in 2019 and identified 29 educational institutions in fraud-related cases. The ED subsequently initiated money-laundering proceedings, with Vishal Deep, then posted at its Shimla sub-zonal office, handling the investigation.
What Were the Bribery Allegations?
According to the CBI, operators of private educational institutions were allegedly pressured to pay bribes to influence the investigation and avoid arrest. The agency also alleged that Balbir Singh acted as an intermediary in the bribery arrangement.
Are the Proceedings Separate?
The current proceedings before the Chandigarh PMLA court concern the ED’s money-laundering complaint.
They are separate from the CBI’s corruption prosecution. The court’s observations regarding the missing documents have emerged during the preliminary stage, before a decision on summoning the accused.
