The Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell has filed a comprehensive 1,468-page chargesheet against two more accused in the Rs 105-crore scam linked to the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT), spanning 2017 to 2020.
The chargesheet, submitted Monday in court, targets Ramez Uddin Ahmed, a lower division assistant at SCERT, and his wife, Manjula Choudhury. Both are accused of amassing assets disproportionate to Ahmed’s lawful income.
The arrests of Ahmed and Choudhury came alongside the detention of the prime accused, retired IAS officer Sewali Devi Sharma, former executive chairman and director of SCERT during the scam period. Earlier, in May 2023, 18 others including RTI activists, journalists, and government employees were also arrested in connection with the case.
Several charges have been framed against all accused under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
The vigilance cell had filed a separate chargesheet on April 3 against Sharma for accumulating assets worth 368% more than her reported income, totaling Rs 6.5 crore. Her disproportionate asset possession was uncovered during investigations into the scam, which surfaced in 2023.
SP Rosie Kalita of the vigilance cell stated, “The disproportionate asset accumulation by Sharma is a blatant violation of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.”
The scandal came to light in March 2023 after the vigilance cell registered the case following reports from the Department of School Education. Investigations revealed that during her tenure as SCERT director from 2017 to 2020, Sharma opened five bank accounts without state government approvals, acting as the sole signatory. These accounts were not in compliance with the Assam Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act.
The probe continues as authorities seek further accountability in this massive educational scam.