CBI files chargesheet in Vyapam state-quota medical seat scam

CBI files chargesheet in Vyapam state-quota medical seat scam

P.Naveen@timesgroup.com

Bhopal: 08.01.2021

The CBI on Thursday submitted a chargesheet in a special trial court in Gwalior against 60 people, including 22 women and directors of medical colleges, a former director of medical education and some other influential individuals, in the Vyapam state quota seat allotment scam in PMT-2011.

The court accepted the chargesheet and issued notices to CBI on a complaint filed by Vyapam whistleblower Ashish Chaturvedi, seeking explanation. Chaturvedi has submitted his complaint in a closed envelope, said sources.

None of the accused were summoned by CBI for appearance following a high court order on Wednesday, asking the special court not to insist upon personal appearance of more than five accused on any particular date.

The order was issued following a writ petition by some of those named in CBI’s chargesheet, who voiced their apprehension about being called in a bunch to court in Covid times. The journey to court and gathering in closed confines will put them at risk of infection, they pleaded.

The counsel for the petitioners also submitted that they are Covid warriors, directly involved in the treatment of patients at the respective places of their work. “Calling all the petitioners at the same time will adversely affect the treatment of Covid-19 patients,” the counsel said.

Some of the petitioners said that since they are aged over 70 years, they would be highly vulnerable to infection and their lives would be at risk if they are told to appear in court.

VYAPAM SCAM

‘The dummy ‘solvers’ didn’t take admission’

After hearing their arguments, the court ruled that movement of large number of people, including petitioners from different places of their work to congregate at Gwalior district court, would give rise to the possibility of Covid-19 spread.

The PMT-2011 scam

The allegation is that after allotment of MBBS seats in state quota in four private medical colleges, the dummy ‘solver’ candidates did not actually take admission, but the college administration and admission committee gave false information to directorate of medical education that they had. This was allegedly done to block state quota seats so that those in the waiting list wouldn’t be able to join. The ‘solver’ students were paid through middlemen to vacate the seats, which the private medical colleges filled up with students of their own choice without following due process, says the probe agency. The majority of the students who were admitted had not even taken the PMT exam, says CBI. The DME, allegedly in connivance with these private medical colleges, did not cross-check the information and instead ‘aided and abetted them’ in legitimizing the illegal admissions against state quota. TNN

Retired joint secy accused of forging docus 30 yrs ago

Retired joint secy accused of forging docus 30 yrs ago

Kiran.Parashar@timesgroup.com

Bengaluru: 08.01.2021

Amid an evaluation scam — suspected to be about two years old — breaking out in Bangalore University, it has emerged that a former law student of the varsity had allegedly forged his marks card and degree certificate, joined the state government 30 years ago claiming to be a graduate and risen to the rank of a joint secretary before retiring in 2020.

The accused, Azaz Ahammed Khan, 60, worked as joint secretary in the assembly secretariat office. According to sources in the secretariat, Khan retired in June last year. Police say the fraud came to light after secretariat officials wrote to the university seeking to verify Khan’s marks card and graduation certificate as he was due for promotion as joint secretary from deputy secretary.

The varsity probe revealed he was a student of the nowclosed Islamia Law College and had joined the college in 1985-86. In 1986 and 1987, he consecutively failed in two subjects.

In 1991, Khan joined the secretariat claiming to be a law graduate. The same year he wrote exams in several subjects but could not pass them. The certificates he submitted to the government were also not printed from the university printing press. Probe revealed all the documents were forged and were submitted to the government to get a job.

Sources said Azaz had submitted only a few documents when he joined the job but when his promotion as joint secretary from deputy secretary was due last year, he furnished the forged documents to the deputy secretary (administration), stating he had completed graduation 35 years ago. His fraud was exposed when the government sent his documents for verification.

Police said they are yet to trace Khan and have no clue on his whereabouts. Sources at the secretariat office said that they have received information from both BU and Jnanabharathi police station and appropriate action is being initiated. However, the officials did not reveal much information when asked how he could work for 30 years in the government by providing fake documents.

BU files complaint

K Jyothi, registrar (administration) of Bangalore University, has filed a complaint against Azaz Ahammed Khan at Jnanabharathi police station. He’s been booked under IPC sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 465 (forgery) and 471 (forgery of documents).

Man poses as doc, govt official to dupe scores

Man poses as doc, govt official to dupe scores

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi: 08.01.2021

Before being nabbed for swindling people while masquerading as a doctor or an important government official, Devender Mishra used to live an ordinary life in a small town in Rewa, Madhya Pradesh. A pathologist by profession, Mishra would collect blood samples by the day and then return home to his wife and two children.

However, Mishra soon got bored of this dull life and came to Delhi to make it big. In 2008, he opened a sample collection centre in east Delhi’s Laxmi Nagar, said additional commissioner (crime) Shibesh Singh. But his business failed and he had to shut shop. Refusing to accept the fact that he might have to go home, Mishra decided to take to crime.

Police said that his first target was a friend, who had approached him to help him acquire an arms licence. The accused claimed that he called up the office of district magistrate of Aligarh and got it done. He then took to duping people full time.

“He started off by posing as a doctor and opened a clinic at Lakhimpur Kheri, UP in 2016 in the name of ‘Shraddha Mother & Child’ where he posed as assistant professor, paediatrics, AIIMS,” said DCP (crime) Bhisham Singh.

He also claimed to be a MD in Paediatrics and Cardiology and a visiting faculty at Army Hospital, Delhi Cantonment, the DCP added.

In the last four years, Mishra donned many roles,police say. When he was not playing a doctor, he was posing as an advisor at Niti Aayog or a joint secretary at the health ministry who helped his acquaintances by pretending to call government officials to get a job done.

With all his avatars, police said that the accused duped many but his life of crime ended after the Crime Branch got a tip-off about his activities. On January 5, the cops laid a trap in central Delhi and arrested Mishra after an informer spotted and identified him. His mobile phones and his collection of fake ID cards describing his various roles were seized.

Police raided his hideout in Dasna, Ghaziabad and also seized Rs 68,000 in cash. He was booked for impersonation and forgery, etc under the IPC and produced before the court.

DIFFERENT HUES: The accused, Devender Mishra, opened a clinic in Uttar Pradesh in 2016 posing as an assistant professor of paediatrics, AIIMS

6 8

THOUSAND RUPEES SEIZED FROM ACCUSED

Official nabbed while taking ₹1 lakh bribe

Official nabbed while taking ₹1 lakh bribe

Dindigul:  08.01.2021

Sleuths from the directorate of vigilance and anti-corruption (DVAC) arrested an assistant director in the town and country planning department after catching him red-handed while he was accepting a bribe of 1 lakh on Thursday. The action was taken following a complaint lodged by Naatrayan, 65, of Karur.

Naatrayan owned a piece of land at Eriyodu in Dindigul district and wanted to partition it. He approached A Muthukrishnan, 53, the assistant director. Since the plot was more than one lakh sqft, Muthukrishnan told Naatrayan that it has to be referred to the director of town and country planning in Chennai.

Muthukrishnan allegedly demanded 2 lakh as bribe for recommending the partition and writing to the director. Naatrayan refused and after negotiation it was agreed that he would give 1 lakh. Naatrayan approached the DVAC who gave him chemical-coated currencies to hand them over to Muthukrishnan.

On Thursday, Naatrayan went to the office on the Trichy Road to meet Muthukrishnan. When he came out of his office to receive the bribe, he was caught by the DVAC team led by deputy superintendent of police Nagarajan. TNN

EPS says bring it on, Stalin can pick spot

EPS says bring it on, Stalin can pick spot

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Erode:  08.01.2021

Hours after DMK president M K Stalin accepted the challenge for an open debate on corruption charges, chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami upped the ante, demanding that the opposition leader prove his allegations against the government “if he was man enough and the true leader of the DMK”.

Addressing cadres during his campaign at Gobichettipalayam assembly constituency in Erode district on Thursday, EPS said he was prepared to participate in the debate at any place of Stalin’s choice, but demanded that the DMK leader answer his questions without help of reference papers (thundu cheetu – pointing to Stalin reading out from a prepared text during his campaigns).

“You have to prove the charges you have levelled against me. I am ready to answer all your questions. At the same time, you should answer my questions,” EPS said.

Earlier at Arachalur in Perundurai assembly segment, EPS made a speech on a similar note, demanding that Stalin participate in the open debate if he had the ability and the guts. EPS said Stalin was actually not prepared for an open debate and wanted to avoid one and hence he was laying down conditions.

“What is the connection between the court stay on a CBI inquiry and an open debate?” EPS asked, noting that the debate could happen even without vacating the stay. EPS said the tenders called for by his government were e- tenders where there could not be any irregularities. “This would be revealed if Stalin came for the open debate,” he said. Seeking to turn the tables, EPS said it was Karunanidhi’s family that had amassed wealth across the state. “Stalin had presumed that since I was from a village, he could level false allegations at me. His dream of spreading falsehood about the government, confusing people and winning the elections will never happen,” EPS said.

PULLING OUT ALL STOPS:

Palaniswami campaigned in Erode on Thursday

Palaniswami adopts Jaya campaign style

Erode: Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami’s campaign in Erode on Thursday raised several eyebrows as he interspersed his speech with questions resembling that of the campaign speeches of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa. It used to be Jayalalithaa’s signature in every campaign to pose the question ‘will you do it?’ twice (seiveergala, neengal seiveergala?). In a similar style, EPS posed a similar question twice to people. Alleging that the DMK regime in the past was marked by power cuts, EPS asked the public if they wanted the same situation to return. “Minsara vettu ungalukku meendum venduma… venduma?” he asked. Moments later, he once again asked if they wanted the dynastic rule to return. “DMK kudumba aatchi meendum venduma…venduma?” TNN

Stalin accepts EPS challenge to open debate, but has conditions

READY TO DO THIS?

Stalin accepts EPS challenge to open debate, but has conditions

Asks CM To Give Green Nod To Be Probed By CBI

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai: 08.01.2021

DMK president M K Stalin on Thursday accepted the challenge posed by chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami for an open debate on the corruption charges levelled against him and his cabinet members. But Stalin’s acceptance has come with a few conditions.

Participating in an election campaign in Erode district, chief minister Palaniswami on Wednesday challenged Stalin to an open debate on the corruption charges levelled by the DMK and submitted as a petition to Tamil Nadu governor Banwarilal Purohit. The chief minister has been maintaining that the allegations of corruption and irregularities are baseless.

“The chief minister has issued a challenge to participate in an open debate. I accept the challenge. But before that, the chief minister has to do a few things. Let him move the Supreme Court and get the stay, ordered by the apex court, on CBI inquiry against the chief minister vacated. Let him move the court tomorrow (Friday) saying he is willing to face the inquiry and get the necessary order,” Stalin said in a statement.

“Let the chief minister convene a cabinet meeting and pass a resolution tomorrow itself (Friday), requesting the governor to grant permission for investigating the corruption charges, submitted as a petition by the DMK. Let him also agree to subject himself to an inquiry for amassing wealth disproportionate to his known source of income and write a letter to the governor,” Stalin said. “I am ready. Are you ready chief minister Palaniswami?” Stalin asked.

The AIADMK is the only party in the country that had a CM who was jailed for corruption and was forced to step down due to the charges. “CM Palaniswami has been subjected to CBI inquiry but brazenly claims he has not indulged in any irregularities and is trying to bury the truth,” Stalin said and listed, once again, the DMK’s charges of irregularities committed by the AIADMK government.

Terming the repeated charges of land grabbing by DMK functionaries as total lie, Stalin said it is the AIADMK that has been in power for the past 10 years and Palaniswami has been CM for the past four years. “How many people from the DMK have been convicted under land grabbing charges,” Stalin asked.

Meanwhile, the DMK has extended the deadline for holding the people’s grama sabha meetings till January 20. While it was decided to hold 16,500 meetings from December 23 and January 10, heavy rains had forced the party to cancel several meetings, DMK said in a statement.

S Rly changes names of two trains from city

S Rly changes names of two trains from city

08.01.2021

Southern Railway has changed the names of two trains departing to the same destination within a gap of 15 minutes. The names were creating confusion among passengers. No. 06181/ 06182 Chennai Egmore-Sengottai Express has been renamed Chennai Egmore- Karaikudi - Sengottai Express. No. 06182 Sengottai – Chennai Egmore Express has been renamed Sengottai – Karaikkudi - Chennai Egmore Express. No. 02661 Chennai Egmore – Sengottai Express has been renamed Chennai Egmore – Madurai – Sengottai Express. No. 02662 Sengottai - Chennai Egmore Express has been renamed Sengottai–Madurai – Sengottai Express. TNN