CBI files fresh chargesheet against three in Vyapam case

The CBI on Friday filed a chargesheet against three persons, including a middleman, in a case related to the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh.

The accused were booked under charges of criminal conspiracy, impersonation, cheating and forgery under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sections of the Madhya Pradesh Recognised Examinations Act, 1937.

The chargesheet was filed in a special court in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh.

The CBI took over the case, earlier registered at Garha police station in Jabalpur, and filed a First Information Report (FIR) on August 18, 2015, against 60 accused persons.

A CBI official said on Friday that the accused were alleged to have entered into a criminal conspiracy with one another for cheating, forgery and impersonation in the Pre Medical Tests (PMT) of 2008, 2009 and 2011 conducted by Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal (Vyapam) or the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB).

They managed the fraudulent admission of 29 candidates to MBBS course at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College in Jabalpur, the official said.

Investigators said a candidate had taken the assistance of an impersonator in the written examination of PMT 2009 with the help of a middleman who was arrested on May 3.

"The expert opinion of CFSL (Central Forensic Science Laboratory) on handwriting or signature on the OMR answer sheet had proved that the candidate had not appeared in the examination and the unidentified impersonator had appeared on his behalf," the officer said.

The officer said the investigation against the unidentified impersonator and other accused persons has been kept open.

"The findings are based on the investigation done by the CBI on the basis of evidence. Under Indian law, the accused are presumed to be innocent till their guilt is finally established after a fair trial," the official said.

The Supreme Court on July 9, 2015, handed over the Vyapam cases to the central agency. At least 48 people linked to the Vyapam scam have died, some mysteriously.

The CBI, which filed its first Vyapam case on July 16, 2015, has till now registered 155 FIRs in the scam.

--IANS

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