SC gives CBI three weeks to take over Vyapam cases

New Delhi, July 31

The Supreme Court gave Central Bureau of Investigation three weeks’ time to take over investigations into all cases involving the multi-crore Vyapam scam on Friday.

Declining the CBI’s demand for 6–8 weeks for the take over, a bench of Chief Justice H.L.Dattu, Justice Arun Mishra and Justice Amitava Roy told the agency it would grant more time later if it found it necessary.

The court gave the investigating agency six weeks’ time to appoint independent lawyers to lead its cases before the special CBI courts trying Vyapam scam cases.

The court wanted Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi to be present before it on August 7, when it is likely to direct the department of personnel and training to recruit people to fill up vacancies in the CBI to ensure it does not hinder investigations. 

"We will direct the filling up of vacancies, let DoPT appear in the court," said Chief Justice Dattu, after Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar urged the court to direct the Madhya Pradesh government to make 250 personnel available to investigate cases not pertaining to the scam.

He told the court that the Madhya Pradesh High Court by a July 24, 2015 notification has set up 20 courts across the state for the trial of cases.

The investigation agency has yet to take over investigations into 78 cases related to the massive recruitment scandal.

Special Task Force of the Madhya Pradesh government, which was previously investigating the case, has registered 55 cases, of which 26 are still being probed.

A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice HL Dattu had, on July 9, transferred all Vyapam cases, including the related deaths, to the bureau.

The scam is believed to involve professionals, high-profile politicians and bureaucrats with hundreds of people, including aspirants and their parents, in jail. Former MP Education Minister Laxmikant Sharma and several top bureaucrats suspected to have to have been part of the mammoth scandal are currently in jail.

MP Governor Ram Naresh Yadav has also been accused of favouring some aspirants. While the STF had registered an FIR against him, the High Court quashed it citing the immunity from criminal prosecution he enjoys in office.

Yadav's son Shailesh, who was suspected of being involved in one of the several Vyapam cases, is one of the several people involved in the case to whose deaths have been shrouded in mystery.

While the state government claims 25 people who have been involved with the case have so far died mysteriously — including a journalist, Akshay Singh — Congress pegs this figure at 49.   — PTI