Kin of SCERT former chief, five others held in ₹105 crore scam

Guwahati: The chief minister’s special vigilance cell on Wednesday arrested six persons in connection with the Rs 105-crore scam in the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT).The arrested persons are LN Sonowal, Jaychandra Lahkar, Rubul Ali, Ramijuddin, Sarang More and Rajesh Kumar Joshi. Sonowal is a retired deputy director of open and distance learning (ODL), SCERT while Lahkar is an accountant, Ali a stenographer, Ramijuddin a lower division assistant and More the chartered accountant of the ODL, SCERT. Joshi is the elder son-in-law of agriculture department secretary, IAS officer Sewali Devi Sharma, who was suspended in March after she was found involved in the case during her tenure as the director of SCERT.Charges of criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, disappearance of evidence of offence or giving false information to screen offender, cheating and forgery under the IPC along with charges under the Assam Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2005, and Assam Public Procurement Act, 2017, have been slapped on the accused.The case of misappropriation of funds during the tenure of Sewali Devi Sharma came to light in March after the CM’s special vigilance cell registered a case based on the reports of the department of school education.The inquiry by the department of the school education revealed that during her posting as the executive chairman and director of the SCERT from 2017 to 2020, she had allegedly created five bank accounts without the necessary approvals from the state government and she was the sole signatory. The report also revealed that the Assam Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act was not followed in respect of the bank accounts.After finding financial irregularities and credible references of misappropriation of funds, she was placed under suspension with immediate effect on March 18. Sharma is yet to be arrested in the case.