MBBS exam scam: Court frames charges against 10 accused

The Court of Additional Sessions Judge Salender Singh has framed charges against ten accused in the MBBS examination scam that surfaced earlier this year at Pt BD Sharma University of Health Sciences, Rohtak (UHSR).

Of the accused, Rohit — currently out on bail — appeared in person, while the other nine, namely Roshan Lal, Jitender, Anil Kumar, Sonu, Khushboo, Deepak, Dheeraj, Nikhil and Balram, joined proceedings via video conferencing from judicial custody.

The case was earlier listed for arguments on framing charges. During the August 22 hearing, counsels informed the court that a supplementary chargesheet had been filed in a related case arising from the same FIR and sought a merger of both matters. The court accepted the request and ordered all proceedings to be conducted under a single title.

After hearing arguments, the judge observed that a prima facie case had been made out under sections of the IPC, including criminal conspiracy, cheating, breach of trust, impersonation, and forgery, along with provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The chargesheet was served on all the accused, who pleaded not guilty and opted to face trial. The court has adjourned the matter to August 28, when it will begin recording prosecution evidence. Relevant witnesses have also been summoned for that date.

The scam — first exposed by ‘The Tribune’ in January — involved smuggling of answer sheets during annual and supplementary exams, which were then re-attempted by students before being re-submitted to the secrecy branch to fraudulently secure passing marks.

In February, a total of 41 persons — including 24 MBBS students from a private college and 17 university employees — were booked in the case.