The Central Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday began probe into the multi-crore Vyapam scam and registered two FIRS so far.
The first FIR is in 2010 Pre-Medical Test exam against 21 candidates and is registered under section 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, 474 and 120B of IPC. The second FIR is against eight accused in 2011 Pre-PG exam and is registered under section 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120 B of IPC and under Madhya Pradesh Recognised Examination Act.
On July 13, the CBI took over the probe in the Vyapam scam, the massive admission and recruitment scandal, which has rocked Madhya Pradesh and dented the credibility of the state's BJP government.
Getting down to business, a CBI team led by a Joint Director-level officer from the agency's headquarters in Delhi began preliminary consultations with MP police's Special Task Force (STF), which hitherto investigated the numerous cases related to the scam.
The STF was probing the cases under day-to-day monitoring by the MP High Court-appointed Special Investigating Team before CBI was asked to step in following a huge public and political outcry over a number of deaths of people linked to the scam, some of them unexplained.
The 40-member CBI contingent headed by Joint Director RP Agarwal held discussions with Sudhir Sahi, head of the STF.
The STF under Sahi has been probing the case since August 2013. In November 2014, the Madhya Pradesh High Court constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under the chairmanship of former High Court judge Chandresh Bhushan to supervise the investigation.
CBI Director Anil Sinha, sources said, was himself monitoring the developments in the case with assistance from two Additional Directors RK Dutta and YC Modi.
Agarwal, a 1986 batch Assam-Meghalya cadre IPS officer, is posted as Joint Director, anti-corruption department, at the CBI Headquarters.
A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice HL Dattu had on July 9 transferred the probe of all Vyapam cases, including the related deaths, to CBI, which was directed to take over the probe on Monday.
The premier investigative agency has been asked to file its report to the apex court on July 24 when it is likely to take a call on monitoring the investigation as demanded by some petitioners including Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh.
The scam involves 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 are also behind the bars.
The role of MP Governor Ram Naresh Yadav has also come under cloud for allegedly favouring some aspirants. The STF had registered an FIR against him but the High Court quashed it citing immunity from criminal prosecution he enjoys in office. Supreme Court has also issued notices to Yadav and the Centre and state governments on petitions seeking his removal from the post.
Yadav's son Shailesh, an accused in one of the Vyapam cases, had died mysteriously at his father's Lucknow residence in March 2015.
(With additional information from PTI)
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