Chandigarh, May 22 -- The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Thursday filed its first chargesheet in the Rs.504-crore misappropriation of Haryana government funds, naming 15 accused, including bank officials, public servants and private entities, in what is being described as a large-scale, organised financial fraud. The chargesheet was filed within 90 days of the registration of the February 23, 2026, FIR by Haryana anti-corruption bureau (ACB). The CBI had on April 8 registered a regular case replicating the ACB FIR. As per Section 187(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), the chargesheet must be filed within 90 days from the date of arrest for offences punishable with death, life imprisonment, or imprisonment of 10 years or more. If the investigation agency fails to file a chargesheet within 90 days, the accused acquires a right to default bail. The chargesheet was filed before the special CBI court in Panchkula. Those chargesheeted include six officials of IDFC First Bank and AU Small Finance Bank, three public servants from departments including Haryana Power Generation Corporation Ltd., development and panchayat department and Haryana School Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad, two shell entities with their directors or partners and one private individual. All accused are currently in judicial custody. The accused have been chargesheeted for offences including criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery, destruction of evidence, and offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. Officials said investigation against these 15 accused has been completed, while further probe into other suspects and additional departmental linkages is ongoing. The case pertains to allegations that bank officials, in connivance with government functionaries, fraudulently diverted public funds into accounts of shell firms through fictitious transactions. The fraud, officials said, was executed in a systematic and layered manner, pointing to deep institutional collusion. Originally registered by the Haryana ACB on February 23 this year, the case was later handed over to the CBI due to its magnitude and complexity. The central agency re-registered the FIR after the Haryana government granted consent under Section 6 of the Delhi Special Police Establishment (DSPE) Act, followed by a notification issued by the Centre extending CBI jurisdiction to probe the matter. The scam, estimated in its entirety to exceed Rs.550 crore, involves multiple shell entities-including firms such as Swastik Desh Project, SRR Planning Gurus Pvt Ltd., Cap Co Fintech Services, and RS Traders-to route diverted funds. The decision to transfer the probe to the CBI was taken considering the scale of the fraud, its inter-state ramifications, suspected transnational money trail and involvement of multiple institutions....