File photo: Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav
Big fish have not been protected by an investigation into the Vyapam scam or jobs scandal, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has told NDTV about the towering crisis his government confronts. But a police document accessed by NDTV shows that Madhya Pradesh Governor Ram Naresh Yadav had been named as "Accused No 10" in a criminal case; while the Governor's constitutional immunity protected him from investigation, many of the others named with him in the case are now in jail.
"Based on these details, the Governor must be investigated. Is the BJP trying to protect the Chief Minister?" asked Congress leader Digivjaya Singh who has said both Mr Chouhan and his wife are involved with the scam. "He (the Governor) must be removed. The BJP must be afraid that he will spill the beans," added lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court will hear a case that asks for Mr Yadav to be removed as Governor.
The Governor and his son were accused last year of accepting bribes in an FIR or First Information Report by the Special Task Force of the state police that is investigating the Vyapam scam. The High Court ruled that the Governor could not be investigated while in office, but said the police could record his statement. Then, in March, the Governor's son, Shailesh Yadav, who had not been questioned by investigators, was found dead in Lucknow.
The FIR against the Governor cited the testimony of Veerpal Singh, who, after being arrested, alleged that he handed over Rs three lakh at the Governor's official residence to Shailesh Yadav on behalf of 10 candidates who wanted to cheat their way through the qualifying exam for government teachers.
Since the BJP came to power at the Centre, it has not been shy of replacing governors appointed by the previous Congress-led government with its own candidates. The Congress says given that proclivity, the BJP must explain why Mr Yadav remains in office despite the taint of the Vyapam scam.