CBI Files New Charge Sheet Against 592 Persons with Repetitive Names in Vyapam Scam

After giving a clean chit to Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and ruling out any conspiracies behind the deaths linked with Vyapam Scam in October this year, the Central Bureau of India (CBI) has filed a new charge sheet against 592 persons accused on 23 November, for alleged irregularities in 2012 Pre- Medical Test (PMT) exam conducted by Vyapam. The investigation in the scam has been inching along since July 2015 when all the Vyapam scam related cases - with allegations of more than Rs.1000 crore of corruption and tens of deaths of people related with Vyapam – were taken over by the CBI. 

The latest charge sheet has names of Vyapam officials who were already accused by the investigation agency in earlier charge sheet which includes former Director Pankaj Trivedi, former Senior System Analyst Nitin Mahindra, former Deputy System Analyst Ajay Sen and Programmer C K Mishra.

Other high profile persons among accused are chairman of four private medical colleges based in Bhopal and Indore - Ajay Goenka, D K Satpathy, Suresh Vijayvargiya, R S Bhadoria and officers of the Department of Medical Education - S C Tiwari (former director) and M N Srivastava  (ex- joint director). Among the others accused are racketeers, middlemen, exam. “solvers” and beneficiary candidates, guardians of beneficiary candidates and invigilators.

According to the CBI, its investigation has unraveled the conspiracy and complicity of public servants of Department of Medical Education, Government of Madhya Pradesh and also managements of four private medical colleges in the state. It has been discovered that how the racketeers, solvers, beneficiary candidates, management of medical colleges and officials of the Department of Medical Education have coordinated among themselves which contributed to the illegal admissions. 

However, numerous reports have alleged the involvement of Madhya Pradesh Government including Shivraj Singh Chouhan who has been the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh since November 2005. According to a comptroller and auditor general (CAG) report, it was found that there had been a systematic subversion of rules by the state government in the appointment of directors and controllers of Vyapam board. The Vyapam board was also accused of violating rules in conducting examinations for the posts of Police and Law departments between years 2005 and 2015. 

The CBI, so far, has not unraveled something substantial in the scam except for repeating names of accused Vyapam officials. It is to be seen when the scam will unfold to the fullest, often not a case in the country. Remember, it was the Vyapam scam on which CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan misled the State Assembly regarding progress of investigations.