Student Special by Ehsaan Yousf
Srinagar, Nov 13 [KNZ] : A trial court here is likely to announce verdict in a case involving Mushtaq Ahmad Peer, the former chairman of the Board of Professional Entrance Examination (BOPEE) who allegedly engineered the common Entrance Test (CET) 2012 scam.
Peer was arrested on 23 November 2014 by the crime branch after investigation revealed that he had sold the CET-2012 papers along with answer keys for Rs 60 lakhs.
Peer was chargeshteed along with more than fifty other persons in the case (FIR 24/2013 Under Section 420, 120B RPC, 5(2)d r/w (5(2) PC Act) registered at Police Station Crime Branch. Among them include beneficiary students and parents besides the brokers.
The government has insisted that Peer was sole custodian and trustee of the question papers for CET-2012. It said that he was found to have abused his official position by making sale of question papers along with answer key prior to conduct of examination and conferred undue benefit upon the beneficiaries, resulting in selection of undeserving candidates for MBBS. Many witnesses have been examined by the court.
The court granted bail to Peer 24 May last year. The high court and the trail court had earlier rejected several bail applications by Peer given the gravity and seriousness of offence committed by him. He had also withdrawn appeal before Supreme Court against the rejection of his application by the high court.
According to news agency GNS, in March this year, the Supreme of India granted three months to the special judge anti-corruption Srinagar to conclude trial into the multi-crore cash-for-paper scam.
In his letter, the trial court had sought further three months as the time of as many months provided to it by the apex court lapsed earlier.
The apex court was hearing an appeal filed by the BOPEE against high court 20 March 2014 directions, directing it to publish a list of 21 meritorious candidates who on the basis of merit may be considered for admission to the MBBS course in place of candidates whose admission have been cancelled following a probe conducted by crime Branch Kashmir.
Previously, the Apex Court was informed by the counsel representing BOPEE that more than 100 prosecution witnesses have already been examined at the trial so far including two investigating officers.
