Srinagar The economic offences wing (EOW) of the Jammu and Kashmir Crime Branch has filed a chargesheet against seven individuals for the alleged misappropriation of government funds sanctioned for a school building in Baramulla district, officials said on Sunday.
The challan was presented before the court of the special anti-corruption judge, Baramulla, in connection with a 2018 fraud case involving violations of the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act and criminal conspiracy.
The investigation, triggered by a written complaint, focused on construction work at Primary School, Hampora, Kralgund, under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme. While the project was sanctioned for a school building, kitchen, toilet, and ramp, investigators found that funds worth ₹5,73,592 were released by the then Zonal Education Officer (ZEO), Langate, but were not utilised according to norms.
EOW officials said while the primary school structure was built, the mandatory kitchen block, toilet, and ramp were never constructed despite the full release of payments. The probe revealed a “well-planned criminal conspiracy” where officials bypassed SSA guidelines to allot the contract to a private party, rather than executing the work through the village education committee as required.
The accused also allegedly altered the site plan to suit their interests, replacing the approved three-room design with a double-storeyed, four-room structure. Once the building was completed, the contractor and education officials reportedly failed to formalise the handover, allowing another accused individual to illegally occupy the premises.
