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As a big relief to state governor Ram Naresh Yadav in the multi-crore Vyapam scam,Jabalpur High Court today granted "interim relief of stay" to the FIR (No 4/2015) lodged against him at special task force (STF) police station, Bhopal.
The STF had lodged FIR against him on 24 February this year in entrance examination scam also known as Vyapam scam. The governor had challenged the FIR claiming that he had immunity against such actions in his capacity of constitutional authority. The court has also directed the investigation agency not to take any "coercive action" against Yadav on the basis of the impugned FIR and asked the agency to "observe complete protocol" in consonance with the high office of the Governor, being Head of the State during the investigation.
On the other hand, Yadav through his counsel has given assurance to the court that he and his officials will extend full co-operation in the "matter of investigation of the offense in question".
The governor's role came under STF scanner when Dhanraj Yadav, his officer on special duty, was arrested a few months ago in connection with irregularities in the same case investigation. The STF, after going through the document threadbare, had booked the Governor under various sections of IPC (including 420) as an accused of naming five candidates for selection as forest guards in a recommendation to senior officials of the exam board (Vyapam).
An earlier chargesheet in the case had accused the governor's son, Shailesh, of accepting a Rs 3 lakh bribe. Shailesh was found dead at his father's official residence in Lucknow last month. Shailesh's name figured in the supplementary chargesheet, which accused him of taking bribe in lieu of appointments of 10 teachers in grade III examinations conducted by the recruitment board.
Yadav, a former Uttar Pradesh chief minister, had been appointed governor in September 2011 by the then UPA government and has a year-and-a-half's tenure left. Special task force that is probing the case under High Court monitoring has yet to complete investigation amid allegations of involvement of state chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the scam, made by senior Congress leader Digvijaya Singh, noted lawyers Vivek Tankha and KTS Tulsi.
Digvijaya had questioned the STF investigation process as he claimed to have submitted "tangible"evidences that allegedly suffice to prove involvement of the state chief minister. Singh is demanding a CBI probe in the case since beginning. As many as 1,000 accused in the case have been arrested so far including high rank officials ofthe professional examination board and an ex-minister of Chouhan government.
Allegedly officials ofVyapam, that conducts various entrance examinations, allowed ineligiblecandidates in lieu of money to get through in various professional examinationslike medical and engineering colleges and other government jobs.
