India, May 15 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday pulled up Punjab government for delay in registration of a criminal case in alleged fraud of funds estimated to be Rs.500, meant for scholarship and said that the government "misinterpreted" a court order that has led to the delay in launch of the investigation.

The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into post-matric scholarship fraud reported in Punjab.

The plea was filed by Satbir Singh Walia, a Chandigarh resident, in 2020. The central government-sponsored scheme is aimed at giving scholarships to meritorious students belonging to economically weaker sections so as to provide them better opportunities f...