According to the Joint Commissioner of Police (ACB), during the probe it was found that eight institutes were empanelled in the first phase (File Photo)The Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government earlier this week arrested nine co-owners, directors, and associates of four coaching institutes for allegedly siphoning off around Rs 37.20 crore from the government exchequer under the Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana 2018-19, which was launched by the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, officials said on Friday.The scheme was one of the ambitious projects of the former AAP government in Delhi to provide free coaching to meritorious students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) or economincally weaker section (EWS) categories for competitive exams such as National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test (NEET), and Joint Entrance Examination. Under the scheme, the aspirants also got Rs 2,500. It was launched by the Social Welfare department in 2018.Officials said the case exposes systemic lapses and government oversight, depriving marginalised students of promised opportunities. “Probe revealed rampant irregularities as institutes flouting mandates to maintain separate bank accounts for funds. Student lists submitted for reimbursements were fraudulent, listing names across multiple institutes — many students denied multiple enrollments when questioned,” Joint Commissioner of Police (ACB) Vikramjeet Singh said. Further violations included non-disbursal of stipends to students, outsourcing coaching to unqualified local tuition centers, and transfer of stipend to student accounts after an FIR was filed in the matter to cover tracks.Also Read | How Delhi’s ‘master thief’ protected her loot — with 15 unlikely guardsThe nine persons arrested have been identified as Ravindra Singh Jadon, Director of Ravindra Institute of Indian Civil Services (OPC) Pvt. Ltd., along with Sanjeev from non-empanelled Prayas Institute, who worked for Ravindra Institute; Azad Kalet from non-empanelled Takshila Institute, who was also linked to Ravindra Institute; Harshit from non-empanelled Momentum NEET IIT Academy, tied to Ravindra Institute; Narendra Kumar Gupta, Director of Takshila Academy (P) Ltd.; Shambhu Sharan, Proprietor of Kiran Institute of Career Achievement; Sanjay Kumar and Jeetender Kumar from Kiran Institute of Career Achievement; Kunvar Digvijay Singh from Pahal NGO, who also worked for Kiran Institute; and Kunvar Digvijay Singh, Director of Parinam Coaching Institute. All nine accused arrested on Wednesday were produced before a special court on Thursday, and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.The previous AAP government had paused the scheme during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 but it was briefly resumed later. But in 2022, the scheme was again halted due to huge gaps in funding and alleged misuse of funds, an official said. On August 7, 2025, the official added, the ACB registered an FIR following an initial probe conducted by a team led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Jarnail Singh.According to the Joint Commissioner of Police (ACB), during the probe it was found that eight institutes were empanelled in the first phase, enrolling around 5,000 SC students, with the department reimbursing coaching fees and student stipends directly to institutes.The scheme was expanded in 2019-20 to include ST, OBC, and EWS categories, the scheme added 38 more institutes, totaling over 22,000 beneficiaries across different phases. The Joint Commissioner of Police (ACB) said, “Owners and runners failed to substantiate their claims despite opportunities.”Story continues below this adIncome and caste certificates submitted to the Social Welfare department are under verification by revenue authorities. The role of other empanelled institutes and departmental officials remains under scrutiny.Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd