Delhi Coaching Scam: ₹37 Crore Fraud in Jai Bhim Scheme Leaves Marginalised Students Betrayed
In a major crackdown, the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) of the Delhi government has arrested nine individuals linked to several coaching institutes for allegedly siphoning off nearly ₹37.2 crore meant for students under a welfare scheme.
The arrests were made earlier this week, officials confirmed on Friday, exposing what appears to be a deep-rooted misuse of public funds.
The case revolves around the Jai Bhim Mukhyamantri Pratibha Vikas Yojana (2018–19), a flagship initiative launched during the tenure of the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi.
The scheme was designed to provide free coaching to talented students from Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Other Backwards Classes (OBC), and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), helping them prepare for competitive exams such as NEET and the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE). In addition to coaching, each student was entitled to a monthly stipend of ₹2,500.
However, investigators say the scheme was exploited on a large scale.
According to officials, several coaching institutes manipulated the system by submitting fake student records and misusing government reimbursements.
Many of the listed students were either enrolled in multiple institutes on paper or denied being part of the scheme when questioned.
A senior ACB official, Joint Commissioner of Police Vikramjeet Singh, revealed that the investigation uncovered widespread irregularities.
Institutes allegedly failed to maintain separate bank accounts for scheme funds, diverted money for other uses, and even outsourced coaching to unqualified local tuition centres.
In some cases, stipends meant for students were not disbursed at all—or were transferred only after an FIR had been registered, seemingly in an attempt to cover up wrongdoing.
Those arrested include directors, proprietors, and associates of multiple institutes such as Ravindra Institute of Indian Civil Services, Takshila Academy, and Kiran Institute of Career Achievement, among others.
They were presented before a special court and have been sent to 14 days of judicial custody.
The scheme itself had already faced disruptions in recent years. It was paused during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, briefly resumed, and then halted again in 2022 amid concerns over funding gaps and suspected misuse.
Following preliminary findings, the ACB formally registered a case on August 7, 2025, after an inquiry led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Jarnail Singh.
Officials say that during the initial phase of the scheme, eight empanelled institutes enrolled around 5,000 SC students, with funds directly reimbursed to these institutions.
The programme was later expanded in 2019–20 to include students from ST, OBC, and EWS categories, growing to over 22,000 beneficiaries across dozens of institutes.
But what was meant to be a pathway for opportunity has instead turned into a cautionary tale of systemic lapses.
Authorities are now verifying income and caste certificates submitted under the scheme, while the role of other institutes and government officials remains under investigation.
Beyond the numbers, the real loss may be harder to measure—the missed opportunities for thousands of deserving students who were promised a chance to compete, but instead found themselves caught in a web of corruption.
