Latest news with #Vyapam
NDTV
01-08-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Explained: Why Students Are Protesting Against SSC And What They Want
SSC Exam Protest 2025: Huge protests continued for the second consecutive day in many cities across the country, including Delhi, over alleged mismanagement in the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) Selection Post Phase 13 recruitment exam. Several students and teachers gathered outside the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) on Friday seeking reform and accountability in the process. A day ago, students had gathered at Jantar Mantar shooting slogans and demanding overhaul in the way SSC functions. Police, who were present at the scene, tried to convince students to stop protesting, but soon violence erupted, and teachers and other protesters were detained. Neetu Singh, an educator popularly known as "Neetu ma'am", was also present at the spot and was detained but released on Thursday night. "We did not go there to protest, we wanted a meeting with DoPT officials and the minister because SSC officials are not giving any answers. We know students have been facing problems for many years and that exams are not being conducted in a fair manner," she told NDTV. "There are many issues with the way SSC conducts examinations, the papers that are given had wrong questions, and when these issues were pointed out, the exam body tried to falsely defend itself in the court," she added. Singh, known for her expertise in English language teaching, said the situation has deteriorated and students exam centres are being allocated in far-off places. What Led Students And Teachers To Protest? Students have flagged multiple issues, such as SSC cancelling exams on multiple occasions, administrative lapses such as allotment of exam centres and failure to issue admit cards even two days before the exam date. Typically, SSC releases admit cards four days in advance. One glaring issue was a student of Jaipur being assigned an exam centre in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, despite students usually being allotted centres near their location based on preference. They have also highlighted technical issues, such as systems crashing, accessories like mouse not functioning, blacked-out screens and server issues, at several centres. Students also accused the security personnel and staff for misconduct and inappropriate behaviour. "Blacklisted Agency Conducted the Exam" This year's SSC Selection Phase 13 exam was conducted by Eduquity, the agency that Neetu Singh said has been blacklisted by the Education Department. Students have long protested against Eduquity, which has been linked to the infamous Vyapam scam - involving bribery, manipulation of seating arrangements, and impersonation by exam-takers. Handing such a critical exam to a tainted agency sparked further outrage. Despite its track record, Eduquity is also slated to conduct upcoming SSC exams, including the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) test, which will see participation from over 3 million candidates - raising serious concerns about the exam's administration. Additionally, mandatory Aadhaar authentication created further hurdles, with many students unable to submit forms or facing issues at the exam centres. The primary concern for students remains the repeated cancellation of the SSC Selection Phase 13 exam. Many travelled from different cities only to be informed - on arrival - that the exam had been cancelled without prior notice.
Time of India
26-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Manifests savarn and shudras': MP HC flags 'caste system' in judiciary; calls out feudal mindset
MP high court NEW DELHI: The Madhya Pradesh high court has made strong observations on the existing structure of the judiciary in the state, comparing the relationship between high court judges and district judges to that of "feudal lord and serf. " The court also criticised what it described as a "caste system" within the judicial setup, where high court judges are seen as "savarn" and district judges as "shudras" and "les misérables." A division bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and D K Paliwali made these remarks in its order dated July 14, while allowing a petition filed by Jagat Mohan Chaturvedi, a former special court judge. Chaturvedi had challenged his termination from service in 2015, which followed his decisions on bail pleas in the Vyapam scam and other cases. He had granted bail to some and denied relief to others, and was later accused of holding divergent views on similar matters. The court said, "At a subliminal level, the penumbra of the caste system manifests in the judicial structure in this state where those in the high court are the savarn and the shudras are the les Misérables of the District Judiciary." "The dismal relationship between the judges of the high court and the judges of the District Judiciary is one between a feudal lord and serf. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like No annual fees for life UnionBank Credit Card Apply Now Undo The feudal state of mind that still exists in the state, results in its manifestation in the judiciary also," the bench said. The court noted that such a structure creates fear and a sense of inferiority among district judges. It said, "Experience at Bar gives this Court the wisdom to arrive at the opinion that the District Judiciary functions under the perpetual fear of the high court. Like this case, where the Petitioner was terminated from service on account of passing bail orders in favour of the applicants, the message that goes down to the District Judiciary by such acts of the High Court is that acquittals recorded in major cases or bails granted by the Courts below the High Court, can result in adverse action against Judges passing such orders, though they are judicial orders. " It added, "It is precisely cases like this that result in a large number of bail applications pending before the high court as also the criminal appeals." The bench also observed that "instances of the judges of the district judiciary personally attending to judges of the high court are commonplace as also the latter not offering a seat to the former, thereby perpetuating a colonial decadence with a sense of entitlement." On Chaturvedi's dismissal, the court said the case shows a "malady that cannot be addressed effectively on account of the social structure existing in the State, which also manifests in the judiciary." It said the termination affirms the belief that trial court judges may face consequences for granting relief to accused persons. The order of Chaturvedi's dismissal was issued on October 19, 2015. His appeal was dismissed on August 1, 2016. The division bench has now quashed the termination order and imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh on the state government through the principal secretary, Law and Legislative Department, and the MP high court registrar general. The court said Chaturvedi had to face humiliation in society without any evidence of corruption presented against him.
Hindustan Times
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Supreme Court stays trial against Vyapam whistleblower Anand Rai under SC/ST Act
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the trial against Anand Rai, the whistleblower in the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, in connection with a case under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Anand Rai told the Supreme Court that the case was designed to silence him for his public activism. (X/) Rai told the court that the case was designed to silence him for his public activism. A bench of justices Sanjay Karol and PK Mishra passed the order on Rai's petition, which referred to the case as an instance of 'malicious prosecution', and asserted that the safeguards and requirements under the 1989 Act were given a go-by. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for Rai along with senior advocate Vivek Tankha, pointed out that no elements of the offences pertaining to the SC/ST Act were present in the complaint against him. Sibal stated that the entire investigation was conducted by an officer below the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, while Rule 7 of the SC/ST Rules requires investigations into offences under the SC/ST Act to be conducted by an officer of a DSP rank or above. Rai's petition, filed through advocate Sumeer Sodhi, said, 'The prosecution has failed to show any caste-specific reference or intentional insult aimed at the complainant or any public servant belonging to Scheduled Castes or Tribes.' It further stated, 'The petitioner has been targeted due to his public activism and ideological positions, which have at times been critical of the government. The present prosecution is not a bona fide exercise of criminal law but a tool for silencing dissent.' Rai approached the top court to challenge the Madhya Pradesh High Court's order of July 3, which had dismissed his appeal to quash the order for framing charges against him issued by the trial court at Ratlam. Rai, a doctor, had exposed irregularities in the medical admissions conducted in the state, known as Vyapam scam, that led to the matter being investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The allegations against Rai pertained to the unveiling of a statue of Bhagwan Birsa Munda, a tribal icon, in November 2022. A rally was conducted by the JAYS (Jai Adivasi Yuva Shakti) organisation, where certain unruly individuals allegedly obstructed the convoy of elected representatives and public officials, resulting in allegations of unlawful assembly, obstruction of public servants, assault and use of criminal force against him.
Indian Express
25-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Lower judiciary treated like ‘shudras', ‘les misérables', High Court judges like ‘savarnas': Madhya Pradesh HC quashes termination of district judge
In a scathing comment on judicial power structures, a Division Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has likened the relationship between the High Court and the District Judiciary to a caste system, observing that judges in the lower judiciary are treated like 'shudras' and 'les misérables', while High Court judges function with the entitlement of 'savarnas'. The French term, 'les misérables', translates to 'the miserable ones' in English and is commonly used to refer to the poor and marginalised, as in Victor Hugo's French novel of the same name. A Division Bench of Justices Atul Sreedharan and Dinesh Kumar Paliwal made the observations on July 14 while quashing the termination of former Additional District and Sessions Judge Jagat Mohan Chaturvedi. He was dismissed in 2014 after passing divergent bail orders in cases linked to the Vyapam scam. The court said the judicial officer had suffered 'gross injustice' and ordered the restoration of his pensionary benefits. It also imposed a cost of Rs 5 lakh on the state for the 'hardships he and his family were subjected to' and 'the humiliation in society that he had to face, only on account of passing judicial orders, without an iota of material coming on record to even establish corruption even on the anvil of preponderance of probability'. Speaking on the entrenched hierarchy in the judiciary, the Bench observed, 'The relationship between District Judiciary and the High Court in the state is not based on mutual respect for each other, but one where a sense of fear and inferiority is consciously instilled by one on the subconscious of the other. At a subliminal level, the penumbra of the caste system manifests in the judicial structure in this state where those in the High Court are the savarnas and the shudras are the les misérables of the District Judiciary.' Describing the dynamic between the High Court and the lower courts, the judges said, 'The dismal relationship between the Judges of the High Court and the Judges of the District Judiciary is one between a feudal lord and serf.' 'The body language of the Judges of the District Judiciary when they greet a Judge of the High Court stops short of grovelling before the High Court Judge, making the Judges of the District Judiciary the only identifiable species of invertebrate mammals,' they said. The Bench further added, 'Instances of the judges of the District Judiciary personally attending to Judges of the High Court (as desired by them) on railway platforms and waiting on them with refreshments, are commonplace, thus perpetuating a colonial decadence with a sense of entitlement.' Judges of the district judiciary deputed to work at the High Court registry 'are almost never offered a seat by the Judges of the High Court, and on a rare occasion when they are, they are hesitant to sit down before the High Court Judge,' the Bench said. The court also observed that the 'subjugation and enslavement of the psyche of the Judges of the District Judiciary is complete and irreversible, so it seems'. 'An overbearing High Court, ever willing to excoriate the District Judiciary for the most innocuous of its errors, ensures that District Judiciary is kept under perpetual and morbid fear of punishment,' it said. 'The fear of the District Judiciary is understandable. They have families, children who go to school, parents undergoing treatment, a home to be built, savings to be accumulated and when the High Court terminates his service abruptly…he and his entire family are out on the streets with no pension and the stigma of facing a society that suspects his integrity,' the court said. The court observed that a 'District Judiciary which is compelled to work perpetually under this fear cannot dispense justice and instead shall dispense with justice'. It added, 'All this adds up to the passive subjugation of the District Judiciary, leaving it psychologically emaciated, which ultimately reflects in their judicial work where bails are not granted in even the most deserving cases, convictions are recorded in the absence of evidence… All this in the name of saving their job, for which the Petitioner in this case suffered, for thinking and doing differently.'
NDTV
18-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Uma Bharti Demands CBI Probe Into How Her Name Appeared In Vyapam Scam
Bhopal: The spectre of Madhya Pradesh's most controversial scam - Vyapam - has once again returned to haunt the political landscape. This time, it's former chief minister and senior BJP leader Uma Bharti raising sharp questions about her own alleged connection to the case. In a press conference on Friday, Ms Bharti demanded a CBI investigation to determine how her name appeared in the scam, despite her having no role. She also raised serious concerns over the functioning of the Madhya Pradesh Crime Branch, calling for accountability and transparency. "I still don't know how my name appeared in Vyapam. It feels like I replaced Shubhanshu Shukla and ended up in space. I trust the ATS and CBI, but what did the MP Crime Branch do that my name ended up in this? How many died? How many lives were ruined? Was someone else protected using my name?" she said. "My Family Paid Price For My Politics" In a deeply personal note, Ms Bharti said her family has suffered immensely over the years due to her political identity. She alleged that both the Congress and BJP governments have harassed her family. "My brothers' children could not progress because they were always worried about my image. Giving a ticket to Rahul (my nephew) was not a favour, it was a party necessity. My family has been with the BJP since Jan Sangh days." Ms Bharti said her relatives were eligible to become MPs and MLAs long ago, but feudal exploitation in districts like Tikamgarh still prevails, even under BJP rule. She recounted the trauma her family faced between 1990 and 1992, claiming that fake cases of dacoity and robbery were filed against her brothers. A murder case was even registered during the Digvijaya Singh government. She emphasised that her harassment did not end even after the Vyapam scandal broke in 2013, which she said caused severe mental distress. "I myself came forward for arrest, but from 2005 to 2013, the harassment continued. Even during the Aarushi murder case, the UP police tampered with evidence - what was the role of state police in Vyapam? The truth must come out." 'Not Leaving Politics, Not Leaving BJP' While making it clear that she is distancing herself from her family, Ms Bharti was firm on one point - she is not separating from BJP. "I will remain in politics for at least 10 to 15 years. If needed, I will contest elections again. I have worked with Atal ji and Advani ji. I was 40 years younger than them. I am not yet 75. No one can separate me from the BJP." Ms Bharti reiterated her long-held causes - cow protection, Ganga rejuvenation, and prohibition of alcohol. "Courts for Ganga and cows will continue. My focus until October is entirely on these two causes. Cow rearing must become a way of life in our villages. Alcohol must be banned in Madhya Pradesh," she said. She said corruption remains the biggest challenge in the state and country, calling for greater transparency in the bureaucracy. "Leaders, teachers, lawyers, clerks - they never really retire. I have to do politics for another 15 to 20 years. Cow, Ganga, and alcohol prohibition are not just political issues - they are my personal beliefs."
