UP Scholarship Scam: Allahabad High Court Grants Interim Anticipatory Bail To Hygia Educational Group's VP On Medical Grounds

Today, the Allahabad High Court granted interim anticipatory bail, on medical grounds, to the Vice President of the Hygia Educational Group, Syed Ishrat Hussain Jafri, who is an accused in the ₹500 crore state scholarship scam.

While granting him interim relief, the bench of Justice Subhash Vidyarthi took into account the fact that Jafri is suffering from various ailments and is unable to have proper treatment due to the apprehension of arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED).

The bench also requested the Director SGPGI Lucknow to constitute a medical board and examine him and submit a report to the Court within three weeks. With this, the Court listed the matter on July 4, 2023, and also granted time to ED to file a counter affidavit in the matter.

As per ED's case, three top officials of the Hygia Group of Colleges fraudulently obtained scholarship funds to the tune of Rs. 500 Crores from the government using the Aadhaar and bank details of ineligible persons by showing them as students.

As per ED, all three of them, with the help of FINO payment bank agents, also diverted the scholarship funds from the account which belonged to the students to the accounts of Hygia Group of Colleges.

In fact, during the investigation of the case, it came to light that many of the students were not even aware of having availed of any such schemes in their names. In this case, the ED has already arrested two directors of the Educational Group, namely, Izhar Hussain Jafri and Ali Abbas Jafri, besides their employee Ravi Prakash Gupta. 

ED has interrogated more than 50 students and recorded their statements. The ED has alleged that the College of Management of Education of Hygia Group was operational only on the website.

Jafri was represented by Senior Advocate SC Mishra assisted by Advocate Mohd. Yasir Abbasi.

Case title - Syed Ishrat Hussain Jafri Vs Directorate of Enforcement