Sewali Sharma, who rose through the ranks to become an IAS officer after completing BA and LLB, has been apprehended in connection with a massive Rs 105 crore swindle, with further developments yet to unfold.
Retired IAS Officer Under Investigation for Alleged Financial Misconduct
In a shocking turn of events, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) has launched an investigation into retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Sewali Devi Sharma, who is now at the center of a money-laundering and disproportionate assets case in Assam, India.
The investigation was triggered by raids on at least eight of Sharma's premises in early August 2025, as part of an ongoing probe into financial irregularities.
Background
Sewali Devi Sharma, a retired IAS officer of the Rajasthan cadre, served as the Executive Chairman-cum-Director of the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) Cell of the Assam State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) on deputation. Her responsibility included implementing a National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) program, a two-year diploma in elementary education delivered through distance mode. The Assam government had sanctioned 59 recognized institutions with a capacity to train 27,897 teachers under this program.
Allegations
The ED's role is to investigate money laundering based on the FIR and chargesheet, tracing diversion of public funds and proceeds of alleged financial irregularities. The allegations against Sharma are grave. She is accused of opening 347 study centers and enrolling over 1,06,828 trainees—nearly four times the approved number of trainees. This expansion appears to have been an attempt to illegally increase fund collections from trainees.
Sharma opened five unauthorized bank accounts in the name of the ODL Cell, where she was the sole signatory, violating the Assam Financial Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2005. Instead of depositing fees (totaling over ₹115 crore) from the trainees into the government treasury, she is accused of diverting these funds into the above accounts and improperly spending over ₹105 crore without proper government financial authorization.
Previously, Sharma was chargesheeted by Assam police for possessing disproportionate assets valued around ₹5.7 crore, which is tied to this ongoing investigation initiated on directions from Assam Chief Minister’s Special Vigilance Cell.
The scam is believed to involve the misuse of government funds related to the ODL program. Sharma's arrest is related to financial irregularities and alleged money laundering. She was suspended due to her involvement in a Rs 115 crore fraud in the implementation of the NCTE's two-year Diploma in Elementary Education (D.El.Ed.) programme through distance mode.
Implications
The case serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of corruption. Sewali Sharma, once a role model for UPSC aspirants, has now become a cautionary tale. Her alleged financial misconduct by unauthorized expansion of a government educational program with large-scale fund diversion has led to a probe under money laundering and disproportionate assets statutes.
This is the latest development in the ongoing investigation by the Enforcement Directorate against Sewali Sharma. The investigation involves alleged money laundering and financial irregularities. The ED's role is to investigate these allegations and bring those responsible to justice.
[1] The Indian Express [2] The Times of India [3] The Telegraph [4] The Hindu [5] NDTV
- Despite a promising career in the Indian Administrative Service, retired IAS officer Sewali Devi Sharma, originally from the Rajasthan cadre, is under investigation for alleged financial misconduct in India, with cricket news and politics taking a backseat in the general-news headlines as the Enforcement Directorate investigates a money-laundering and disproportionate assets case.
- The Bollywood industry, known for its glamour and extravagant lifestyles, may find itself in the shadow of a stark cautionary tale as Sewali Devi Sharma, once hailed as a role model for UPSC aspirants, is embroiled in an alleged financial misconduct case, with the ED investigation revealing a series of serious allegations against the former IAS officer.
- As a new day dawns in the world of crime and justice, the ongoing investigation into the financial irregularities of retired IAS officer Sewali Devi Sharma serves as a chilling reminder of the far-reaching consequences that can follow from corruption, with the Assam government's sanctioned educational program and over 1,06,828 trainees now caught up in the money-laundering and disproportionate assets controversy.
