CET-2010 paper selling scam: HC seeks probe report
The Jammu Kashmir High Court Thursday directed the Crime Branch to file latest status report of the investigation in 2010 CET paper selling scam in the Board of Professional Entrance Examinations (BOPEE). The court also sought details on how the investigating agency closed the probe into 2009 and 2011 CET.
Hearing a Public Interest Litigation, a division bench comprising Chief Justice N Paul Vasanthakumar and Justice Ali Muhammad Magrey asked the CB to file the investigation report by the next date of hearing while it adjourned the case for four weeks.
Meanwhile, the court issued notice to government on a fresh bail application moved by former BOPEE Chairman Mushtaq Ahmad Peer seeking its response within a week.
In March this year, the High Court had directed cellular companies to provide call details required by the Crime Branch to complete probe into 2010 CET paper selling scam in BOPEE.
CB had through it status report informed the court that investigation of CET 2010 paper selling scam could not be completed as ‘cellular companies did not extended cooperation to the Investigating Officer’.
The report however divulged that in the CET- 2009 and 2011 conducted by BOPEE, nothing incriminating was found by the Investigating Officer.
Crime Branch has already completed investigation of 2012 paper selling scam and charge-sheeted 60 accused in trial court of Special Judge Anti Corruption Kashmir including 29 students, 24 parents and 6 brokers besides the principal accused Mushtaq Ahmad Peer, the then chairman of the BOPEE.
Nine minors were separately charge-sheeted in the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Srinagar.
Pertinently, in July 2013 after taking suo-moto cognizance of news reports on leakage and cancellation of papers in Common Entrance Test (CET)-2013, the J&K High Court had treated the reports as Public Interest Litigation (PIL) and initiated proceedings against the State.
The CB subsequently registered an FIR in the scam after establishing prima-facie involvement of the persons whose names had cropped up during preliminary investigations.
The High Court monitored the investigation of the case and passed a slew of directions to the investigating agency to take the probe to its logical conclusion.
