Jabalpur Sex-for-Marks Scandal

Madhya Pradesh government has decided to adopt a tough stance and take stringent action against people involved in the alleged 'sex-for-marks' scandal at the Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur. According to official sources, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has accepted the recommendations of a committee that was constituted to look into the case. The government has reportedly also called upon the Governor to initiate disciplinary action against all guilty teachers, officers and employees of the medical college. The news comes hot on the heels of the arrest of Vijay Sharma, the former registrar of the Rani Durgawati Vishwavidyalaya (RDV) to which the Jabalpur Medical College is affiliated.
Sharma was arrested on Tuesday and produced him in Jabalpur court, which remanded him in judicial custody till May 25. Cops had been hunting for Sharma after four medical college students - Sandhu Arya, Nagendra Rajput, Deepa Singh and Anil Rajput - registered a police complaint alleging irregularities in the revaluation of examination papers. In related news, the government earlier this week transferred RDV's accounts officer Sushila Gupta to the veterinary department. Gupta is said to have helped Raju Khan, the prime accused in the ‘sex-for-marks’ scandal, secure an inflated payment of Rs 55 lakh instead of Rs 35 lakh for the construction of a hostel. The alleged ‘sex-for-marks’ scandal hit Jabalpur Medical College after Sandhu Arya, a dalit MBBS student, lodged a police complaint in February, claiming that her senior Prerna Atwal told her she would have to sleep with Raju Khan if she wanted to get her marks increased in revaluation. According to Sandhu, though the results were not declared, Prerna told her that she had failed in two subjects but that Khan was a man with contacts and could get the 'job done'. RDV's Controller of Examination Prof SS Rana and Deputy Registrar RS Kakodia were arrested on March 1 in connection with the case. They have since been released on bail. Khan too has been arrested and is currently in judicial custody. On the request of Sandhu, the state government transferred her to the Gwalior Medical College for pursuing further studies while inquiry against Prerna is still underway.