Shillong: The Enforcement Directorate on Monday provisionally attached assets worth over Rs 20 crore belonging to CMJ University Chancellor Chandra Mohan Jha and his family.
The action comes as part of the ongoing investigation into the Meghalaya fake degree scam.
The seized assets include four immovable properties located in New Delhi, valued at Rs 19.28 crore, and a bank balance of Rs 1 crore.
According to the agency, the assets have been seized under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
This latest attachment brings the total value of assets seized in connection with the CMJ scam to over Rs 69 crore, according to the ED.
The case pertains to the issuance of fake degrees by CMJ University, a private institution in Meghalaya, without conducting proper examinations or maintaining academic standards.
The ED initiated its investigation following an FIR filed at CID Police Station, East Khasi Hills, based on a complaint by senior IAS officer M.S. Rao on the directive of the then-Governor of Meghalaya, who served as the visitor of the university.
The CID investigation exposed large-scale irregularities at CMJ University, particularly the sale of fake degrees, which allegedly generated a total PoC of Rs 83 crore.
Investigations revealed that between 2010 and 2013, the university issued thousands of fake degrees and enrolled students in various courses without regulatory approvals.
This is not the first such action by the ED in the case. In previous attachment orders dated March 31, 2017, November 30, 2021, and July 11, 2024, the agency had already seized assets worth Rs 27.66 crore, Rs 13.54 crore, and Rs 7.56 crore, respectively, all linked to Jha and his family.
Investigators claim the illicit gains from the scam were laundered and then invested in various properties and assets throughout the country.
The current attachment follows a series of searches conducted by ED in December 2024, during which assets and bank balances were uncovered and frozen.
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Investigators also uncovered a secret transfer of Rs 1 crore made by Jha to a family member’s account on December 16, 2024. This transaction was allegedly an attempt to evade detection, which has since been traced and included in the newly attached assets.
