Key accused in Vyapam scam gets bail

Sanjeev Shilpakar, believed to be a key accused in the much-publicised Vyapam scam involving large-scale irregularities in admissions in government-run medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh, has been granted bail by the MP high court.

Shilpakar walked free on Wednesday after spending three years in judicial custody following the bail granted to him in two cases registered against him in connection with the infamous scandal that has seen death of at least 50 people, indirectly or directly linked to it, during course of its investigation.

A division bench of the high court comprising acting Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice A.K. Srivastav granted bail to Shilpakar in pre-PG and PMT admission scam of 2013, his counsel told the media.

Shilpakar, a professor in the Mahatma Gandhi Medical College, Indore, was allegedly influenced by the lavish style of his senior Jagdish Sagar, said to be another key accused in the Vyapam scam, to foray into the illegal business of admitting undeserving candidates into medical colleges in MP to make easy money. He was charged with adopting fraudulent means for securing admission of students in PMT 2012 and pre-PG 2013 and PMT 2013.

Pleading for bail, he contended that he had been in judicial custody since July 24, 2013 and CBI, probing into the scam, has not filed the charge sheet till now.

The special task force (STF) constituted to probe the scandal, raided his residence in Bhopal on October 30, 2013 and recovered Rs 2.13 crore.

In a separate development, another accused in the scam, Ajay Sen, former system analyst of MP Professional Examination Board, or Vyapam as it is commonly called, was granted bail by the MP high court in five of the ten cases registered against him. He was among four employees of the board who have been booked in the scandal.