Shimla: Councillor Seeks CBSE, Govt Probe into Dummy Admissions Racket at Aspire Academy
Shimla:
In a startling revelation that could rattle the city’s private coaching and school network, local councillor of Kagnadhar Ward, Ram Rattan Verma has shot off a formal complaint to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Director of Higher Education, Himachal Pradesh, alleging a full-blown dummy admissions racket being run by Aspire Academy, a coaching institute based in Kagnadhar ward, New Shimla.
In his signed letter — copies of which have been released to the media — Verma has accused Aspire Academy of facilitating fake Class XI and XII admissions in collusion with certain CBSE-affiliated private schools, allegedly including JCB New Shimla, Sarwasti Paradise, and Hill Grove.
The complaint claims that while students are shown as enrolled in these schools, they in fact do not attend classes there, instead undergoing full-time coaching at Aspire Academy — a practice Verma says is making a “mockery of the education system.”
“This amounts to a fraud on the education system,” the councillor wrote, adding that it “throws all mandatory and legal provisions to the winds just to rake up fat cash registers.”
Verma warned that if an inquiry was not ordered within 15 days, he would move the Himachal Pradesh High Court seeking legal intervention, as the racket “plays with the career of students who later fail to qualify for NEET, JEE or other exams.”
Letter to CBSE and Higher Education Director
In his detailed 7-page complaint, Verma has urged both authorities to launch an independent, time-bound inquiry into the alleged racket.
The letter calls for a thorough audit of admissions, attendance, and fee records, and recommends surprise inspections of Aspire Academy and the affiliated schools during class hours to verify the actual presence of students.
He has demanded scrutiny of:
Admission forms, receipts, and attendance registers of the implicated schools.
Fee ledgers and agreements between parents, schools, and Aspire Academy.
Coaching schedules to identify overlap with official school timings.
Verma’s letter has also sought statements under oath from students and parents to establish whether pupils attend classes at the schools shown on record.
Demand for Interim and Legal Action
The councillor has urged the Director of Higher Education to suspend recognition or affiliation of schools found complicit in the racket until the inquiry is completed, besides issuing show-cause notices to Aspire Academy and the principals concerned.
He also sought:
Preservation of all admission and attendance records.
Refund and compensation for duped parents.
Clear CBSE guidelines to prevent coaching centres from functioning as “dummy schools.”
Verma reminded authorities of their constitutional duty under Article 21, citing Supreme Court judgments such as Mohini Jain v. State of Karnataka and Unnikrishnan v. State of Andhra Pradesh, which uphold the right to education and demand transparency in schooling practices.
National Context
The complaint also notes that several High Courts and the CBSE have recently cracked down on dummy admissions — a malpractice rampant across coaching hubs in India — ordering inspections, derecognition, and disciplinary proceedings against guilty institutions.
15-Day Ultimatum
In his closing remarks, Verma has asked both the CBSE and state authorities to acknowledge receipt of the letter within 7 days and constitute an inquiry committee within 15 days, warning that failure to act would compel him to approach the court under Article 226 of the Constitution for judicial intervention.
The complaint has put a spotlight on the unchecked rise of coaching centres operating in tandem with private schools.
Aspire Academy has yet to respond to the allegations.
If proven true, the allegations could expose one of the biggest dummy admission scams in the state’s capital — one that questions the very integrity of the CBSE system in Himachal.
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