Vyapam scam: SC to hear Digvijay Singh, 3 whistle-blower's plea seeking CBI probe today

July 9, 2015

New Delhi/Bhopal, Jul 9: As the mysterious Vyapam scam is getting murkier with each passing day, the Supreme Court on Thursday will hear a plea of Congress leader Digvijay Singh and three whistle-blower's seeking an apex court-monitored CBI probe into the matter.

CBI probeA bench headed by chief justice HL Dattu had agreed to give an urgent hearing over the said scam and had posted all petitions to be heard today. The infamous Vyapam scam also includes a string of mystery deaths.

A battery of high-profile lawyers are likely to be fielded to argue for an investigation into the Vyapam scam by the CBI which should be monitored by the apex court. According to reports a possible argument could also take place for the removal of Madhya Pradesh governor Ram Naresh Yadav for his alleged role in the irregularities.

Digvijay Singh and the three whistle-blowers - Ashish Chaturvedi, Anand Rai and Prashant Pandey - while demanding for a SC-monitored CBI probe had said that they have no faith in the state agency's Special Task Force (STF) that is probing the scam.

Meanwhile, taking a dig at Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress leader termed Vyapam as the 'Mama (Uncle)' of all scandals.

Instilling his faith in Supreme Court, the Congress leader wrote on Twitter - "The whole Nation is waiting for Hon Supreme Court for their decision on 9th in Vyapam. I am sure Truth would prevail."

However, on Tuesday, bowing to public pressure, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had recommended a CBI probe into the snowballing examination scandal that has bruised his government’s credibility with people connected to the case dying mysteriously.

He had announced the decision at a hurriedly-called press conference in Bhopal and his government filed a plea in the state high court to allow a central inquiry into the Vyapam scam that saw widespread rigging of competitive exams for entry into Madhya Pradesh’s professional education institutes, with everybody from students and politicians to bureaucrats and doctors under suspicion.

Earlier, the apex court had granted four months more time to the Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted following a High Court order, to conclude probe into the case.

The multi-crore rupees professional examination scam, involves several high-profile professionals, politicians and bureaucrats as accused.

The alleged scam involves Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPEB), which holds examinations for various posts such as teachers, medical officers, constables and forest guards.

Over 46 people allegedly associated with the admission and recruitment scam in Vyapam have died since 2013 in mysterious circumstances.

The most high-profile death in connected with the case has been that of Shailesh Yadav, son of Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav. Shailesh (50) was found dead at his father's residence in Mall Avenue area of Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow on March 25, 2015.

Recently, on June 4, a television journalist Akshay Singh, in Madhya Pradesh, suddenly fall ill and died while interviewing parents of a girl who had been found dead near railway tracks, after her name figured in the Vyapam scam. The next day, a college dean from the state helping in the investigation was found dead in a hotel room in Delhi.

On Monday, a woman police trainee recruited through Vyapam was found dead in Sagar district.

And a Madhya Pradesh police constable, who committed suicide also on Monday, was being questioned by a team probing the scam, reports said.

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Agencies
January 5,2020

New Delhi, Jan 5: A masked mob on Sunday entered the Sabarmati Hostel on the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus and assaulted several students and professors with sticks and rods.

"I have been brutally attacked by goons wearing masks. I am bleeding. I was brutally beaten up," JNU Students' Union (JNUSU) president Aishe Ghosh told reporters.

She has been admitted to the AIIMS here for treatment.

Several other students were also injured in the incident.

In a video of the incident, a group of goons with their faces covered can be seen assaulting students with wooden sticks and rods.

A tweet from the official handle of the JNUSU said, "Sabarmati Hostel: right now. They are beating the students who are inside. Knocking on doors with rods. People are jumping from balconies. #SOSJNU #EmergencyinJNU."

"Professors who were trying to protect us have been beaten up. These are unknown ABVP goons, not all are students, they have covered their faces, and they are moving towards the hotels near the West Gate. Stay alert. Make human chains. Protect each other. #SOSJNU #EmergencyinJNU," another tweet added.

Meanwhile, the ABVP's JNU unit claimed in a tweet: "Emergency in JNU. Leftist goons of JNU accompained with their cadre from other universities have crossed every limit. They have proceeded with unimaginable violence on ABVP activists of JNU."

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News Network
April 28,2020

New Delhi, Apr 28: Outstanding loans amounting to Rs 68,607 crore of top 50 wilful bank loan defaulters in the country including firms of Mehul Choksi and Vijay Mallya have been technically written off till September 30, 2019, the Reserve Bank of India said in a RTI reply.

Absconding dimantaire Choksi's company Gitanjali Gems tops the list of these defaulters with a whopping amount of Rs 5,492 crore, according to the list.

This is followed by REI Agro with Rs 4,314 crore and Winsome Diamonds with Rs 4,076 crore.

Rotomac Global Private Limited has funded advances of Rs 2,850 crore which have been technically written off and Kudos Chemie Ltd with Rs 2,326 crore, Ruchi Soya Industries Limited, now owned by Ramdev's Patanjali, with Rs 2,212 crore and Zoom Developers Pvt Ltd with Rs 2,012 crore being the other companies.

Mallya's Kingfisher Airlines figures in the list at number 9, with outstanding of Rs 1943 crore which have been technically written off by the banks.

Forever Precious Jewellery and Diamonds Private Limited has loans of Rs 1,962 crore written off while Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited have Rs 1915 crore written off loans.

Choksi's other firms Gili India and Nakshatra Brands also have loans of Rs 1,447 and Rs 1109 crore respectively written off.

REI Agro of Jhunjhunwala brothers is already under the scanner of ED. The CBI and ED are also probing alleged fraud by the owners of Winsome Diamonds.

Vikram Kothari's Rotomac is the fourth in the list. He and his son Rahul Kothari were arrested by the CBI for bank loan default.

In the last Parliament session, Rahul Gandhi had asked the government to provide a list of top 50 bank loans defaulters in the country, leading to sharp exchanges and uproar in the Lok Sabha.

"The information on top 50 wilful defaulters and their sum of funded amount outstanding and amount technically/prudentially written off as on September 30, 2019 reported in CRILC by banks, is provided," the RBI said in its written response dated April 24.

In his application, RTI activist Saket Gokhale had sought the list of defaulters as on February 16, but the RBI said the requested information is not available.

The RBI said that according to section 8 (1)(a) of RTI Act 2005 read with para 77 of Supreme Court judgement of December 16, 2015 in Jayantilal N Mistry case, information on overseas borrowers is exempted from public disclosure.

"Data is as reported by banks and RBI will not be held responsibly or accountable for any misreporting and/or incorrect reporting by the reporting entities," the RBI said in the written reply to the RTI query.

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News Network
March 28,2020

Mumbai, Mar 28: Industrialist Ratan Tata on Saturday announced that Tata Trusts has committed Rs 500 crore for the medical supplies and equipments which will help combat the coronavirus outbreak.

"The COVID-19 crisis is one of the toughest challenges we will face as a race. The Tata Trusts and the Tata group companies have in the past risen to the needs of the nation. At this moment, the need of the hour is greater than any other time," said Ratan Tata, in an official release.

"Tata is committing Rs 500 crore for: personal protective equipment for the medical personnel on the frontlines; respiratory systems for treating increasing cases; testing kits to increase per capita testing; setting up modular treatment facilities for infected patients and knowledge management and training of health workers and the general public," Tata added.
Tata Chairman also expressed his deep gratitude for the members of all the organizations who are fighting coronavirus at the frontline, puting their life at risk.

"The Tata Trusts, Tata Sons and the Tata group companies are joined by committed local and global partners as well as the government to fight this crisis on a united public health collaboration platform which will strive to reach out to sections that are underprivileged and deprived," he added.

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), there are 873 confirmed cases of coronavirus cases in the country and 19 fatalities have been reported.

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