Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Dummy writers’ scam

Dummy writers’ scam: Seven accused chargesheeted


Ex-Guj Board Secy Among Key Conspirators

Ahmedabad: The testimonies of the supervisor and the students have helped nail the accused persons in the infamous dummy writer scandal. The city crime branch on Wednesday filed a chargesheet against the seven accused in a magisterial court. 

While former Gujarat board secretary H N Chavda and builder Praveen Kotak have been named as main conspirators, the chargesheet shows principal of Swastik school, Raja Pathak, as an absconder in the case.  Others chargesheeted in the case are trustee of H B Kapadia school Muktak Kapadia, father of a student Sanjay Patel, a tutor Bhagwatsinh Rawat, and doctors Badresh Shah and Jatin Sanandia. 
 The chargesheet consists of statements of 77 witnesses, including two students, Harsh and Komal  who had faked injury and obtained services of bright students to write their papers in the board exams on March 12, 2008. 
 Among the key witnesses is a chemistry teacher of A G high school, Kalpana Thakore, who was a supervisor in the room allotted to the two students on the day the scam was unearthed.
 She stated before the police that after the exam started, Rawat entered the room and helped students answer the paper. She protested, but in vain. She then reported the incident to the authority, but she was asked to overlook the incident.
 After some time, a group of people entered the room and claimed that they were from Gandhinagar and informed that the board secretary Chavda was sitting downstairs. Chavda too visited the room twice and asked the supervisor to take care of the students.
 The investigation report was submitted in the court more than two years after investigation began. Initially, the police tried to suppress the case, but a PIL by Congressman Manish Doshi led the Gujarat high court (HC) to take a serious note of the scam. Upon HC directions for fresh probe, the crime branch began arresting the accused.
One of the accused, Kotak, obtained anticipatory bail. Pathak has sought anticipatory bail and proceeding on his application will take place in the city sessions court on Thursday.
The crime branch has applied sections 120-B, 419, 420, 466, 468, 471, 166, 167, 110, 201 of IPC against the accused, charging them with conspiracy, forgery, cheating and dishonesty, disobeying law by a public servant, forming incorrect document and destruction of evidence.

Charges against ex-inspector proved
The education department has submitted a progress report to the Gujarat high court, stating that the charges against former education inspector of DEO, MC Doshi, are proved. The state government is contemplating action against him and has asked for more information from the Gujarat Public Service Commission (GPSC) for the purpose of disciplinary action against him. Doshi is going to retire after a couple of months.

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