)
The Supreme Court today told CBI to inform it in three weeks about taking over of investigation of maximum number of cases out of 185 arising from Madhya Pradesh's Vyapam scam.
The apex court also asked the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) that it should be in a position by next date of hearing on August 7 to fill necessary vacancies in the CBI as the agency has complained that shortage of man power was coming in the way of probe.
Read more from our special coverage on "VYAPAM SCAM"
It sought the assistance of Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi on the issue of filling of vacancies in the CBI.
ALSO READ: Vyapam scam: CBI registers 38 fresh FIRs
"You should be in a position to tell us we (CBI) have taken up the maximum cases," a bench comprising Chief Justice H L Dattu and Justices Arun Mishra and Amitava Roy said while making it clear to Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar that three weeks time would be sufficient for taking over the cases for investigations from Special Task Force (STF) and Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Madhya Pradesh.
The bench said CBI should be in a position to complete within six weeks the task of appointing lawyers to prosecute the cases in various special CBI courts in Madhya Pradesh.
It was in disagreement with the CBI that stress should be on setting up of more special courts, at least five in Bhopal.
The Solicitor General said that the Madhya Pradesh High Court has come out with a notification that CBI courts shall be located all over the state.
"We have so much of faith in you. You take up the cases. Whether it is in Bhopal, Jabalpur, Guna or any other place. You will have your own counsel for prosecution," the bench said.
At the outset, the Solicitor General said there are all together 185 cases and charge sheets have been filed in 78 of them and the priority of the CBI is to take over those cases in which the investigation was undergoing.
He said 55 cases are being examined by the STF/SIT and out of the remaining 130 cases, charge sheets have been filed in 49 and out of 81 which are under probe, 73 are related to cheating by candidates in examination which the CBI was preferring to take up at a later stage.
He said preliminary inquiry was being carried out in one death case and in another regular case has been registered.
