 "MPPEB scam accused surrenders before court")
The Special Task Force (STF), probing the scam, had announced a reward of Rs 5,000 over his head.
Chief judicial magistrate Pankaj Singh Maheshwari on Tuesday had served an ultimatum to Sharma to appear before the court by July 28, failing which the process of attaching his assets would be initiated.
An interim bail application filed by Sharma in the Supreme Court had also been rejected. Sharma had been on the run since May this year. “Sharma surrendered before the court on Friday and it has him handed over to STF. Investigators will interrogate him and will produce him before the court within 24 hours. He was wanted in two cases – recruitment of police constables and that of sub-inspectors conducted by professional examination board,” a senior STF officer told Business Standard.
Sharma has allegedly played key role in forging examination results in favour of those candidates who allegedly paid him bribe.Sharma reached the district court Bhopal with his family members this morning and surrendered. Sharma however said today he was innocent.
Special Task Force (STF), the investigation agency has already arrested an ex-minister Laxmikant Sharma and several others including professional board officials, some students and their parents in the case. Sharma is known to be very close to the ex-minister. Laxmikant Sharma, who comes from a rural background and priest family, held important portfolio like mining, technical and higher education among others for a decade that began in 2003 when ruling BJP took saddle from the Congress. He installed Sudhir Sharma as his officer on special duty, a position that catapulted him among who's who of political and business community of the state and yielded him clout.
Chief judicial magistrate Pankaj Singh Maheshwari had on a July 22 severed Sharma with an ultimatum to surrender before law by July 28. The investigating agency had earlier moved an application in the court to attach Sharma's properties under the Special Act as he did not turn up on July 21 which was an earlier deadline given to him to surrender.
Meanwhile, main opposition Congress is persistent on its demand for a CBI probe in the matter. The MPPEB scam also known as "Vyapam Ghotala" has also reached the doorstep of the state chief minister who is busy defend himself and his family members.
The Congress has taken up this matter to the New Delhi. Led by leader of opposition Satyadev Katre, members of the Congress yesterday sought appointment of President to press for their demand of a CBI probe in the scam. State authorities have cancelled the admissions of over 1,000 students after (STF) investigations revealed that they got through to government medical colleges by fraudulent means.
Allegedly these students had paid others to take the entrance exam on their behalf while their parents allegedly bribed officials of the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board. Also the MPPEB conducted various examinations for posts of state government services but results of these examinations were allegedly manipulated by Sudhir Sharma and others.
Following allegations made by the main opposition Congress accusing Chouhan and his wife Sadhna, state government has already filed a defamation case against state Congress spokesperson KK Mishra.