High Court notice to Madhya Pradesh government on plea of Vyapam scam whistle-blower

Gwalior,Feb 11: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has issued a notice to the state government on a petition of a whistle-blower of the multi-crore Vyapam admission and recruitment scam, after he alleged that he was unlawfully detained for 18 hours in connection with the case in 2018.

Justice SA Dharmadhikari of the high court's Gwalior bench on Tuesday gave four weeksto the state government and other respondents to reply to a writ petition filed by the scam whistle-blower, Ashish Chaturvedi, seeking compensation.

On August 9, 2018, police produced Chaturvedi (29) in a special court here following a warrant issued against him for not deposing in the Vyapam case, Chaturvedi's advocate DP Singh told reporters on Thursday.

Chaturvedi did not record his statement at that time, saying he was the complainant in the case. He had told the court he would depose only after the investigation into the case is over, Singh said. The court imposed a fine of Rs 200 on him, saying if he fails to pay it, he should be sent in judicial custody for 15 days, Chaturvedi's lawyer said.

"On August 9, 2018, Chaturvedi deposited the fine before the close of the court's working at 4.30 pm and hence, the court ordered that Chaturvedi be let off," he said. Even after the court's direction, Chaturvedi was sent to jail, where some of the accused in the Vyapam scam are also lodged, he alleged.

He walked out of the jail the next day after "18 hours", Singh said. In his petition filed the high court, Chaturvedi has said the "unlawful" detention has tarnished his unblemished character and career. "My client is seeking a heavy compensation," Singh said.

The scam refers to irregularities in exams held by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, also called Vyavasayik Pareeksha Mandal or Vyapam, for admission in professional courses and state services.

Multiple criminal cases related to the scam have been filed in different parts of the state. Initially, a special task force of the state police had conducted an investigation into the scam. In 2016, the Supreme Court directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to conduct a probe into the scam.