CBI gets 3 weeks to take over Vyapam cases

SC seeks info in dealing with agency's manpower shortage

The Supreme Court on Friday gave the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) three weeks’ time to take over the investigation of the maximum number of cases (out of 185) in the Vyapam scam.

A three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice H L Dattu also sought Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi's cooperation in informing by August 7 the steps taken in view of the investigative agency’s complaint about manpower shortage.

As Solicitor General (SG) Ranjit Kumar sought further time for taking over all the cases from the Madhya Pradesh Special Task Force (STF), the bench, also comprising Justices Arun Mishra and Amitava Roy, said: “We expected positive response from you. We will give three weeks to take over all cases.”

The court also gave six weeks’ time to the SG to complete the process of appointment of prosecutors in pursuing the cases in courts.

The court, however, did not agree to his suggestion that at least five special courts to be set up in Bhopal should be earmarked for deciding Vyapam cases. He said the MP High Court had brought a notification for setting up 20 special courts of which at least five should be notified for the scam-related cases.

“We have so much of faith in you. You take up the cases. Whether it is in Bhopal, Jabalpur, Guna or any other place, you will have your own counsel for prosecution," the bench said.

Kumar said there are all together 185 cases and chargesheets have been filed in 78 of them and the priority of the CBI is to take over those cases in which the investigation was undergoing.

He said the CBI has registered as many as 19 regular cases while 55 cases are being examined by the STF/SIT and out of the remaining 130 cases, chargesheets have been filed in 49 and out of 81 which are under probe, 73 are related to cheating by candidates in examination which the CBI was preferring to take up at a later stage. He said preliminary inquiry was being carried out in one death case. The court had on July 9 directed the CBI to probe Vyapam scam cases and related deaths on a PIL by Congress leader Digvijay Singh and
others.