CBI files charge-sheet against 60 accused in Vyapam scam case

The CBI on Thursday filed acharge-sheet in a special court here against 60 accused in acase related to the multi-crore Vyapam admission andrecruitment scam in Madhya Pradesh, the prosecution said.

The document, running into more than 4,000 pages,relates to alleged rigging of Pre-Medical Test (PMT) conductedby the state's examination board board in 2011.

Special CBI court for Vyapam cases, presided over byAdditional Sessions Judge Surendra Kumar Shrivastava, willstart hearing the case from January 28 following a directionfrom the apex court that five accused should be tried at atime, prosecution lawyer Bharat Bhushan Sharma said.

He said the accused have been booked under relevantIndian Penal Code sections, including 420 (cheating), and alsoprovisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act.

The charge-sheet runs into more than 4,000 pages,Sharma added.

He said at a time five accused would be served noticesto come to the court for recording their statements.

The Vyapam scam refers to irregularities in exams heldby the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, alsocalled Vyavasayik Pareeksha Mandal or Vyapam, for admission inprofessional courses and state services.

Multiple criminal cases related to the scam have beenfiled in different parts of the state.

Initially, a special task force of the state policehad investigated the scam. In 2016, the Supreme Court haddirected the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) toinvestigate the scandal.