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Jammu : The Jammu and Kashmir Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) on Monday said it has filed a chargesheet against a former junior assistant in the office of ZEO Manjakote for allegedly misappropriating 256.40 quintals of rice and cooking costs under the Mid Day Meal scheme, causing a loss of over Rs 12.65 lakh to the state exchequer.
In a statement issued to the news agency, an ACB spokesperson said the chargesheet was filed in FIR No. 26/2018 under Sections 5(1)(c), 5(1)(d) read with 5(2) of the J&K Prevention of Corruption Act Svt. 2006 BK and Sections 465, 468, 471, 201 and 120-B RPC against Mohd Farooq, then junior assistant in the office of ZEO Manjakote.
He said the case was registered on December 28, 2018, at Police Station VOJ (now ACB-J) following a verification that revealed the alleged misappropriation of around 200 quintals of rice pertaining to the fourth quarter of 2014-15 under the Mid Day Meal scheme in Zone Manjakote.
The spokesperson said the investigation found that the then ZEO Manjakote, Shah Nawaz Khan (now deceased), and Mohd Farooq, the dealing hand for Mid Day Meal, allegedly prepared fake, forged and fabricated indents and authority letters by manipulating official records, in connivance with storekeeper Mumtaz Hussain.
He said that after scrutiny of the records and obtaining an FSL opinion, it was prima facie established that 256.40 quintals of rice worth Rs 8,03,557.60 and Rs 4,61,578 in cooking costs were allegedly misappropriated.
“This caused a loss of Rs 12,65,135.60 to the state exchequer,” the spokesperson said.
He said since the then ZEO Shah Nawaz Khan had died, sanction for prosecution was obtained for the in-service accused, Mohd Farooq.
The ACB produced the chargesheet before the Special Judge, Anti-Corruption Court, Rajouri, on August 31, 2026. The next date of hearing has been fixed for September 29, 2026.—(KNO)
