Vyapam: Chouhan relents, moves HC seeking CBI probe
8 July 2015 5:45 AM IST
Under relentless opposition attack, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said he will recommend to the High Court a CBI probe into the Vyapam scam, a day after the Centre and BJP disfavoured handing it over to the central agency without a court directive.
“I have said this before that I can’t order a CBI enquiry directly. I will request High Court to <g data-gr-id="35">handover</g> the probe to CBI,” he said at a press conference in Bhopal, adding, “With a CBI probe, everything will be crystal clear in the case.”
He tweeted that the state had not influenced the Special Task Force which he had constituted to conduct an investigation. Reacting to Uma Bharti’s remarks that the Vyapam investigations were badly handled, he said, “I have deep respect for Uma Bharti, whatever she may have said. Uma ji is a senior leader, a union minister and like my sister.”
While stirring a hornets’ nest union minister Sadananda Gowda termed the Vyapam scam as a “silly issue” on which Prime Minister Narendra Modi need not comment. “Our Home Minister (Rajnath Singh), ministers of concerned departments and even my party (BJP) president Amit Shah have answered everything,” he said. He was responding to a question on the demand of Opposition that Prime Minister Modi should speak out on the matter.
Earlier, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the plea of Congress Party leader Digvijay Singh to order and monitor a CBI probe. Reacting to Chouhan’s announcement, Singh said, “I am happy good sense has prevailed. I want the CBI inquiry to be monitored by the Supreme Court.”
Chouhan said on Tuesday the accusations levelled by the Congress Party until now have been false.
Continuing with its demand for Chouhan’s resignation the Congress on Tuesday said it is important for a neutral probe into the Vyapam scam. “It is an effort to mislead people. We still remain firm on our demand for a Supreme <g data-gr-id="36">Court-monitored</g> probe,” said Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia adding, “If we want a neutral probe, then the chief minister should resign.
We want to clarify that if there has to be transparency, then he (Chouhan) should not object to an SC-monitored probe.” Meanwhile, the chief of Special Investigation Team (SIT) monitoring the probe into the case said on Tuesday that the series of deaths of those associated with the Vyapam scam do not look “mysterious” but come forth as “abnormal”.
Justice (retired) Chandresh Bhushan told TV news channels that he has asked the STF constituted to
probe the admission and recruitment scam to “enquire” into these cases and tell the SIT how “these fellows have died”. “I would not like to use that word (mysterious). I will say there are certain deaths and those deaths are not normal deaths... So, if they have any connection,” he said.
Next Story
