Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav has refused to resign from office despite being named ‘Accused No.10’ in a case around the Vyapam scam, with which 47 deaths in the state are linked and are being investigated by the CBI.
Computer files accessed by NDTV are believed to show how the Governor was among officials who had misused their position. Moreover, spreadsheets recovered from the computer of Pankaj Trivedi, a key accused, also reveal a certain mastermind called ‘Mantraani’, referred to as a minister’s wife or a female minister by Trivedi.
However, since the Governor has an ‘immunity’ while in office, he has not been investigated yet. The Supreme Court is considering the order of a removal of the Governor, so he can be probed as demanded by opposition party Congress and others.
“We do not believe that the office of Governor enjoys this sort of immunity,” BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said.
Yadav’s lawyers allege that the computer files have been doctored to include his name while the name of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been carefully removed.
Meanwhile, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has formed a 40-member team that will investigate into the Vyapam scam, taking over the probe from the Madhya Pradesh Special Task Force and local police. RP Aggarwal, the officer who investigated the infamous Bhanwari Devi case is told to lead the special team for Vyapam.
As many as 48 people related to Vyapam has lost their lives in mysterious circumstances. Not too long ago, a journalist and the head of Jabalpur’s NS Medical college were found dead in Madhya Pradesh and Delhi respectively.
Last week, Supreme Court had ordered a CBI inquiry into the trail of deaths related to Vyapam.
The Vyapam scam is a huge admission and recruitment scandal involving politicians, bureaucrats and middlemen. Several politicians, including former state Education Minister Laxmikant Sharma, a host of officials and aspirants have been arrested in the case.
