MPPEB scam: Ex-director, former minister's role under scanner

BHOPAL: After arrest of former examination controller of Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) Pankaj Trivedi and the recent FIR against his predecessor Sudhir S Bhadoria for their alleged role in the largest ever examination racket, tenure of board's retired director Y C Uprit and former technical education minister Kamal Patel are now under scanner of special task force (STF).
Kamal Patel's successor Laxmikant Sharma is already in jail in connection with MPPEB scam. Uprit was recently charge-sheeted by state economic offences wing (EOW) along with MPPEB's former chairman Arun Gupta, former principal system analyst of board Nitin Mohindra and 14 others after receiving sanction from state government in an 11-year-old computer purchase scam. They were accused of accepting a Singapore trip sponsored by private company as a kick-back.
In 2003, the BJP government had ordered a probe into purchase of computers worth Rs 1.5 crore by the board. State government had however denied permission to prosecute Uprit and others until MPPEB scam surfaced.
EOW charge-sheet reveals that accused had purchased 78 computers and other equipments on inflated rates.
Whistle blower Dr Anand Rai, who has now demanded an inquiry into examinations conducted during Uprit's tenure claimed that it will open up a Pandora's Box. "Uprit who had a salary of not more than Rs 40,000 started a fully equipped dental college soon after his retirement, is it feasible? His links with scam-accused Dr Vinod Bhandari and their role in DMAT examinations should be probed," he demanded. Scrapping of DMAT-2006 was tip-off an iceberg into medical and dental entrance scam. Kamal Patel was minister for technical education in that period.
The entrance exam-DMAT 2006, conducted on August 13 for admissions to private medical and dental colleges was cancelled in the wake of allegations of leakage of questions papers besides several other irregularities.
Private medical and dental colleges in state had approval from Centre and state government to fill 350 MBBS seats and 700 BDS seats during that period. And, high court monitoring committee had allowed Association of Private Dental and Medical Colleges (APDMC) to conduct entrance exam to fill these seats. Uprit was controller and treasurer of APDMC. Credibility of this exam came under cloud after Bhopal crime branch seized incriminating documents, post-dated cheques and cash, from an employee of a private dental college at Bhopal.
On August 29, 2006 MP high court, Jabalpur directed state government to furnish 400-odd 'disputed' answer sheets of DMAT-2006 taking on record the Justice Chandresh Bhushan Committee's affidavit which was filed in compliance with its previous order seeking detailed reasons for cancelling DMAT 2006 on August 19. The directives were issued by a division bench comprising then Chief Justice A K Patnaik and Justice S C Sinho had directed the state government while hearing petitions filed by APDMC and two students - Sanjay Kumar and Pawan Rao.
Complaints included that question papers distributed were not sealed like the procedure followed by MPPEB. Also it was alleged that Rajesh, a candidate from Hoshangabad, was forced to fill up OMR answer sheet with a red pen and separate arrangements were made for 15 students. Also, some candidates were asked to fill up OMR answer sheet half way the examination by a pencil, the affidavit said.
STF has initiated a fresh investigation into the DMAT-2006 exam cancellation case, said sources.