The Supreme Court on Friday refused to order a CBI probe into the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) scam on a petition by Congress leader Digvijay Singh and others. The petitions alleged several discrepancies in the probe by a special task force into the scam found in examination for admission to various colleges and jobs in the State.
A bench, headed by Chief Justice Hl Dattu, felt there was no need for a CBI probe in a case which is monitored by the MP High Court. The fact that the HC had appointed a Special Investigation Team headed by a former HC judge to oversee the STF investigation impressed the bench.
Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi informed the Court on behalf of MP Government that it was wrong to suggest that the HC is monitoring only one case relating to PMT admission scam. In a rebuff to the arguments advanced on the other side by a galaxy of legal luminaries including Kapil Sibal, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Indira Jaising, KTS Tulsi and Vivek Tankha, Rohatgi stated that 55 cases were under monitoring of SIT and charge sheet in them was likely to be filed before March 15, 2015.
Recording the statement, the bench dismissed the petitions expressing satisfaction with the HC monitoring. “First constitutional court (HC) is monitoring the case and we respect it,” the bench said.
Sibal, who opened arguments for the petitioners, suggested that the State police was not going for the big fish in the scam which comprised Ministers in the Union Government and State Cabinet. AG said the petition was a political litigation as 1,200 people had been arrested so far including one Minister in the State Government and top officials in the recruitment board. The bench told Sibal, “You have no faith in SIT or CJ of High Court. You want only CBI.”