Madhya Pradesh HC Refuses to Hear State Govt's Plea Seeking CBI Probe into Vyapam Scam

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has refused to hear the state government's plea seeking to hand over the Vyapam scam case to the CBI.

The HC said it will hear the plea only after the matter is heard in the Supreme Court.

Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday agreed to the demand of the opposition parties, Congress and AAP, to order a Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe into the multi-crore exam scam and the several deaths linked to it.

The state government filed an application to the HC, seeking the transfer of Vyavsayik Pareeksha Mandal (Vyapam) case from the Special Task Force (STF) to the CBI. Additional advocate general PK Kaurav had said that the HC may hear the state government's plea on 8 July, according to Hindustan Times.

"Recently the print and electronic media has very widely reported deaths of individuals, who are allegedly connected with the investigation conducted by the STF... This false propaganda tends to undermine the integrity of the investigating agency in public eye. And ultimately weakens the justice delivery system," the state government's plea said.

The case is currently being investigated by the STF under the supervision of Special Investigation Team (SIT), which is being monitored by the Madhya Pradesh HC. Chouhan had said on Tuesday that he will urge the HC to hand over the case to the CBI.

However, he maintained throughout that he has immense faith in the investigation by the STF.

More people started demanding for a CBI probe after the sudden death of four people linked to the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) scam. One after the other, the people, who were either involved in or investigating the scam, were found dead under mysterious circumstances.

More than 40 people, including the accused and witnesses, have died so far. Some were found dead under mysterious circumstances, while others are believed to have committed suicide. The story behind the deaths, like the scam, remains a mystery.