Bhopal:
A top state examination body in Madhya Pradesh has cancelled the July 12 examinations for admissions to private dental and medical colleges, with a whistleblower threatening to name judges allegedly involved in a scandal relating to it.
A day after Madhya Pradesh High Court directed The Association of Private Dental and Medical Colleges (APDMC) to scan OMR answer sheets of each of the candidates who will write the Dental and Medical Admission Test (DMAT) on July 12, the apex body today postponed the scheduled examination.
"The exam was postponed because of technical reasons," APDMC Chairman, Dr VK Mahadik told PTI.
APDMC conducts DMAT exam for granting admission to private dental and medical colleges of Madhya Pradesh.
The emerging DMAT scandal comes close on the heels of a raging controversy over the massive admission and recruitment Vyapam scam on which the Supreme Court has ordered a CBI probe.
"For ensuring completion of all technicalities involved in the examination we need more time and therefore, decided to postpone it," the Chairman said.
The APDMC has also put out a notice on the issue on its official website. It also said that the new date for the exam shall be notified separately.
A bench of MP High Court comprising the Chief Justice AM Khanwilkar and Justice KK Trivedi yesterday directed the APDMC to scan the answer sheets of the candidates appearing in the 2015 Dental and Medical Admission Test (DMAT) in all the nine examination centres of the state.
DMAT-2015 will be conducted in various examination centres across the country, including nine centres in MP.
The HC ordered the Principal Secretary, Home department, Principal Secretary Medical Education department, the Secretary of the Admission and Fees Regulatory Committee (AFRC) and the President of APDMC to keep one set each of the scanned OMR answer sheet copies of the nine DMAT examination centres.
The postponement also assumes significance in view of number of petitions pending in the High Court and Supreme Court on the issue of alleged irregularities in the DMAT exam.
Whistleblower Dr Anand Rai, who has also filed a petition in Supreme Court demanding CBI probe into the alleged DMAT scam, was also a leading a campaign on the Vyapam scam.
"It (DMAT) is a major scam in which 43 per cent private college quota seats and 15 per cent NRI quota seats were sold off by violating rules and regulations."
"I will be submitting in a sealed cover names of members of judiciary also who were the beneficiaries of this scam to the Supreme Court soon."
Besides, Dr Rai also alleged that 721 seats of the state quota in these private colleges were sold off for a hefty amount between 2010-2013.
State Congress President, Arun Yadav in a press conference last month had alleged irregularities in admissions to private medical colleges in the state and claimed its beneficiaries included relatives of politicians, judges, IAS and IPS officers.
Meanwhile, with the Vyapam scam denting its image, the state government has decided to digitise the Professional Examination Board to make its functioning transparent, state Technical and Higher Education Minister Umashankar Gupta has said.
"The entire functioning of Vyapam (Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal) will be made transparent and digital," Gupta said after launching an ultra-modern mobile app for online examinations conducted by Vyapam in Bhopal on Thursday.
The application has been developed under the 'Digital India' Programme, the minister said in the presence of Vyapam's Chairman Madan Mohan Upadhyay.
"The launch of Vyapam's mobile app is a big leap towards 'Digital India'. Through it, we can make all Vyapam exams convenient and examinees can complete the entire online process without any difficulty," Mr Gupta said.
Along with application forms, their (aspirants') details, dates of various exams, download of admit cards, question-answer banks and details of candidates will be available on the mobile app, he said.
Earlier, the facility of image scanner was also made available in Vyapam using modern technology.
The admission test of PAHUT (Pre-Ayurvedic, Homoeopathy and Unani Test) will be held using this technique on August 30, 2015, Mr Upadhyay said.
It will be the first online test of Vyapam. As compared to last year, the Board is conducting double the number of exams - totalling 31 - this year, he said.
Admissions in various courses will be made through Vyapam in 2015 for over 95,250 seats and recruitments will be made against 60,700 government vacancies in the state, Mr Updhyay added.
The Opposition has alleged that 49 persons linked to the Vyapam scam, a massive admissions and recruitments scandal, have died under mysterious circumstances, a charge refuted by the state government.