Ludhiana: Now, VB to probe fraud case against school management
The division number 5 police had on January 8 registered an FIR against the school on the complaint filed by the chairman of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust, slapping Sections 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code on the management of New Higher Secondary School
The case against the management of New Senior Secondary School, Sarabha Nagar, involving “cheating and illegally running commercial activities” on the land which was allotted by the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT), has been transferred to the Punjab Vigilance Bureau (VB). The police found financial irregularities following which the decision of transferring the probe to VB was taken. The deputy commissioner’s office, while citing a complaint, had mentioned ₹2,400-crore fraud while referring to the commercial activities on the land.
The division number 5 police had on January 8 registered an FIR against the school on the complaint filed by the chairman of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust, slapping Sections 420 (cheating) and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of Indian Penal Code on the management of New Higher Secondary School, Sarabha Nagar. The LIT chairman, in his statement, mentioned that a total of 4.71 acres was allotted to the New Higher Secondary School, Civil Lines, to run another school in Sarabha Nagar under Kartar Singh Sarabha Nagar scheme in 1966-1967 for ₹94,200 at a reduced price. According to the clause, the land would not be used for any other activities.
The FIR mentions that on one pocket of the 4.71-acre land at the prime location, a playway ‘Orchid Junior International School’ is being run. Pocket B has the building of New Senior Secondary School, Pocket D has ‘Shri Ram Universal School’, Pocket E has another playway ‘Kangaroo Playway School’, Pocket F has staff quarters, and a new building is being constructed in Pocket G. On the main road, Madia Group has installed a hoarding of ‘Business with Difference’. The school management committee has been receiving hefty rent from the playway schools.
The Punjab Vidhan Sabha Committee for Local Bodies had also taken notice of the violations in a meeting held on November 5, 2024, and recommended stern action. The LIT had earlier on April 2, 2019, proposed an agenda for the cancellation of the land allotment to the management of New Higher Secondary School, but no such meeting was held as the model code of conduct was imposed due to Lok Sabha elections in that year.
The FIR also mentioned that the land registration was done in the name of New Higher Secondary School on March 21, 1991. A copy of the deed was kept in the LIT record. When scanned, it was found that three lines from the clauses were erased with a pen. Six other lines on another page of deed were erased the similar way. Had it been erased by the LIT, it would have carried signature of the chairman and a related note should have been mentioned in the record, which proved that the management committee had tampered with the documents, the FIR mentioned.
The FIR also mentioned that Sunil Kumar Dutt on May 26, 2018, submitted an affidavit claiming himself an allottee of the land sought supplementary registry of the land in his name, however he was not an allottee according to the record. Later, his son Sunny Kumar on September 14, 2020, claiming himself as the president of the school trust had moved an application for the supplementary registry in the favour of the school.
Commissioner of police Swapan Sharma confirmed that the investigation was transferred to the vigilance bureau as financial irregularities were involved. An investigation of other FIRs against the management can also be transferred to the VB if financial embezzlement is found, he added.
Latest case
On May 12, the division number 8 police station registered another FIR against the management of New Senior Secondary School, Civil Lines, for reportedly using staff quarters and classrooms for commercial purposes. The management rented out the staff quarters and even some rooms of the school for rent as a paying guest (PG) facility. The New Senior Secondary School, Civil Lines, is one of the oldest schools of the city.
