A special court in Shimla has taken a stringent step against two key accused in a massive alleged educational fraud case. The court has officially declared Ashoni Kanwar and her son, Mandeep Rana, as fugitive economic offenders under the Fugitive Economic Offenders Act (FEOA) of 2018. This landmark order is connected to the multi-crore Manav Bharti University fake degree scam.
The Court Order and ED's Pursuit
The Special PMLA court in Shimla passed this significant order on January 3, 2024. The ruling came in response to an application submitted by the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) Shimla sub-zonal office. The central agency's investigation was initiated based on three separate First Information Reports (FIRs) originally registered at the Dharampur police station in Solan district.
According to the ED's probe, the alleged mastermind Raj Kumar Rana, along with Ashoni Kanwar and Mandeep Rana, operated a scheme to sell fake degrees in the name of Manav Bharti University. These fraudulent credentials were provided in exchange for money, generating what investigators estimate to be illegal proceeds worth a staggering Rs 387 crore.
Modus Operandi and Asset Attachment
The investigative agency revealed that the enormous funds generated from this scam were not kept idle. The accused allegedly used the money to purchase a wide array of movable and immovable assets spread across several Indian states. In a major crackdown on these illicit holdings, the Enforcement Directorate has already provisionally attached assets valued at approximately Rs 200 crore in connection with this case.
This action is part of a larger legal process. Earlier, the ED had filed a prosecution complaint (similar to a chargesheet) against a total of 14 individuals and two entities, which included the Rana family. This complaint was filed under the stringent Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
Flight to Australia and Legal Consequences
The path to declaring them fugitives began when Kanwar and Mandeep Rana repeatedly failed to comply with legal proceedings. Despite the court issuing summons to them in January 2023, the duo did not appear. This non-compliance led the court to issue non-bailable warrants against them in November 2023.
Further investigations by the ED uncovered that both accused had fled to Australia. Crucially, the probe found that they refused to return to India to face trial. Based on this willful evasion of the Indian judicial process, the ED moved an application under Section 4 of the FEOA, 2018, seeking their declaration as fugitive economic offenders, which the court has now granted.
This declaration empowers the authorities to take further steps, including the confiscation of all their properties in India, even those not directly linked to the scam, to recover the proceeds of crime. The order marks a significant escalation in India's legal fight against economic offenders who flee the country.
