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