BHOPAL: In a blow to Madhya Pradesh's Special Task Force (STF), a CBI special court in Bhopal has delivered the first-ever acquittal of a 'candidate' named in the infamous Vyapam scam - India's largest recruitment and exam scandal that has engulfed over 3,000 accused, including students, officials, and middlemen.
The lone acquitted candidate, 32-year-old Sajan Singh Thakur , is a police constable posted at Kotwali police station in Harda. A native of Damaria village in Seoni Malwa tehsil of Narmadapuram district, he was accused of fraudulently securing his post by using a proxy to appear in the 2013 Professional Examination Board (PEB) recruitment test.
The case against him was initiated in Oct 2021, when a confidential complaint reached the additional director general of police, STF Bhopal, alleging that Thakur paid Rs 5 lakh to a proxy exam-taker - referred to as a 'Munna Bhai' - with financial help from his brother, Pappu Thakur.
STF investigators collected Thakur's handwriting and fingerprints, retrieved original recruitment documents, and sent them for forensic analysis. The prosecution claimed there were discrepancies, indicative of impersonation.
An FIR was registered in Dec 2022, and Thakur was arrested in March 2023. He was granted bail while the trial progressed. A chargesheet was submitted before the special court in Aug 2024, and he was subsequently suspended.
On May 2, 2025, the CBI special court dealing with Vyapam cases ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove charges beyond reasonable doubt. Citing inconclusive forensic results, lack of eyewitness testimony, and unproven elements of conspiracy and intent, the court acquitted Thakur.
Speaking to TOI after the judgment, advocate Gopesh Sikkewal, counsel for Thakur, said, "The prosecution was unable to provide substantial explanations on several technical issues during cross-examination. Since he has been acquitted of the charges, we will be filing a petition to get him reinstated in the police force, along with all financial benefits that he deserves till date."
The court ordered Thakur's acquittal under IPC sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, 120B, and provisions of the MP Recognised Examinations Act, 1937. His bail bond was cancelled, and a copy of the judgment was sent to the Bhopal district magistrate. The prosecution is likely to file an appeal in the case.
This case is among hundreds tied to the Vyapam scam, a massive network of exam fraud that rocked Madhya Pradesh, involving the rigging of entrance exams for medical colleges, govt jobs, and professional courses. Over the past decade, the scam has exposed a nexus of candidates, impersonators, officials, and politicians - undermining public trust in the recruitment process and triggering national outrage.
The lone acquitted candidate, 32-year-old Sajan Singh Thakur , is a police constable posted at Kotwali police station in Harda. A native of Damaria village in Seoni Malwa tehsil of Narmadapuram district, he was accused of fraudulently securing his post by using a proxy to appear in the 2013 Professional Examination Board (PEB) recruitment test.
The case against him was initiated in Oct 2021, when a confidential complaint reached the additional director general of police, STF Bhopal, alleging that Thakur paid Rs 5 lakh to a proxy exam-taker - referred to as a 'Munna Bhai' - with financial help from his brother, Pappu Thakur.
STF investigators collected Thakur's handwriting and fingerprints, retrieved original recruitment documents, and sent them for forensic analysis. The prosecution claimed there were discrepancies, indicative of impersonation.
An FIR was registered in Dec 2022, and Thakur was arrested in March 2023. He was granted bail while the trial progressed. A chargesheet was submitted before the special court in Aug 2024, and he was subsequently suspended.
On May 2, 2025, the CBI special court dealing with Vyapam cases ruled that the prosecution had failed to prove charges beyond reasonable doubt. Citing inconclusive forensic results, lack of eyewitness testimony, and unproven elements of conspiracy and intent, the court acquitted Thakur.
Speaking to TOI after the judgment, advocate Gopesh Sikkewal, counsel for Thakur, said, "The prosecution was unable to provide substantial explanations on several technical issues during cross-examination. Since he has been acquitted of the charges, we will be filing a petition to get him reinstated in the police force, along with all financial benefits that he deserves till date."
The court ordered Thakur's acquittal under IPC sections 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, 120B, and provisions of the MP Recognised Examinations Act, 1937. His bail bond was cancelled, and a copy of the judgment was sent to the Bhopal district magistrate. The prosecution is likely to file an appeal in the case.
This case is among hundreds tied to the Vyapam scam, a massive network of exam fraud that rocked Madhya Pradesh, involving the rigging of entrance exams for medical colleges, govt jobs, and professional courses. Over the past decade, the scam has exposed a nexus of candidates, impersonators, officials, and politicians - undermining public trust in the recruitment process and triggering national outrage.
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