Transfers of Vyapam whistleblower, wife cancelled: MP govt told HC

Indore: In a climb down, the Madhya Pradesh government on Friday told the High Court that it has cancelled the transfer orders of Vyapam whistleblower Anand Rai and his doctor-wife Gauri to Dhar and posted them back in the city.

During a hearing on the petition challenging the transfers, Advocate General Ravishchandra Agrawal, through an oral submission, informed the division bench of Justice P K Jaiswal and Justice D K Paliwal about the orders of transfer cancellation.

However, the state government dismissed the allegations of Anand Rai, a government doctor, that State Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been mounting pressure on him to stop the campaign against him (Chouhan) and his family about the Vyapam and DMAT scam in return for cancelling the couple's transfers.

The petition was filed by Anand Rai who had also filed an affidavit on August 11 claiming that Chouhan had offered and assured to cancel the transfers if he withdrew the campaign against him (CM) and his family in the two scams. Agrawal also told the HC that the government will pay the couple's two-month's pending salary soon.

The state government has filed a counter affidavit in reply to Rai's allegation, stating that Rai's submission that the Chief Minister asked him to withdraw Vyapam/DMAT cases against the Chief Minister and his family is baseless.

The affidavit also said the meeting dated August 11, 2015 between Rai and the Chief Minister does not have any bearing on the present controversy. Rai (38) had stated in an affidavit that he was summoned by the MP CM to his official residence on August 11 through a common friend.

After the Vyapam scam was exposed, Rai's attachment as a Medical Officer to a Government Training Institute in Indore was cancelled and he was posted back to his original place in neighbouring Dhar district hospital. His wife was initially transferred from Indore to Ujjain and later she was again shifted to Dhar.

Rai alleged that since he has raised the flag against Madhya Pradesh ministers and powerful BJP leaders in the Vyapam and DMAT scams, the state government transferred him and his wife to "settle scores".

Vyapam is a admission and recruitment racket that helped candidates clear Pre-Medical Test (PMT) using unfair means while Dental and Medical Admission Test (DMAT) scam is associated with admission in private dental and medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh.

Rai alleged that since he had complained against Madhya Pradesh Ministers and powerful BJP leaders in the Vyapam and DMAT scam, the state government transferred him and his wife to settle scores with him.

The Vyapam scam took place in Pre-Medical Test (PMT) as well as recruitment for various government posts while Dental and Medical Admission Test (DMAT) scam happened for admissions to private dental and medical colleges in Madhya Pradesh.