SC to hear PIL alleging siphoning of funds meant for SC/ST students

New Delhi, August 14

The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear next week a PIL alleging siphoning of Rs 18,000 crore funds meant for granting scholarship to students belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

A bench comprising Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justice AM Khanwilkar considered the submissions of lawyer ML Sharma seeking urgent hearing of the PIL.

Sharma, in his plea, has referred to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India and said Rs 18,000 crore meant for scholarship for SC/ST community had been siphoned off by public servants and other functionaries.

The plea said the CAG performed the audit for 2013-2017 and found irregularities in the accounts of states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. PTI