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Bhopal CBI judge sits past 2 am to reject bail pleas as CBI chargesheets 592 accused in Vyapam scam

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Bhopal CBI judge sits past 2 am to reject bail pleas as CBI chargesheets 592 accused in Vyapam scam

CBI filed its chargesheet in the scam related to PMT 2012 exams against 592 accused including 4 Vyapam officials, 26 officials of four private medical colleges

In a first, a special CBI court in Bhopal functioned till around 2.30 am on Friday, to hear and subsequently reject anticipatory bail pleas of over 30 persons – including owners of prominent medical colleges – who were named among 592 accused in a chargesheet filed by the CBI on Thursday in connection with the multi-crore-rupee Vyapam scam.

The CBI, which is investigating complaints of a slew of irregularities in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MP-PEB) during the period between 2012 and 2013 which collectively are called the Vyapam scam, filed its chargesheet in the special CBI court with regard to malpractices during the pre-medical test (PMT) conducted by the board in 2012 on Friday.

The chargesheet names four Vyapam officials, three private persons/ racketeers; 22 middlemen; 334 Solvers & beneficiary candidates; 155 guardians of beneficiary candidates; 46 invigilators; two former officers of the state’s department of medical education, including the then Director; and 26 officials of four prominent private medical colleges based in Bhopal and Indore.

Thursday’s chargesheet by the CBI comes weeks after the agency filed a chargesheet against 490 accused persons including three Vyapam officials, three racketeers, 17 middlemen, 297 ‘solver & beneficiary’ candidates and 170 guardians of the beneficiary candidates in connection with alleged irregularities in the PMT 2013 conducted by Vyapam.

A statement issued by the CBI on Thursday evening with regard to the filing of the new chargesheet said that the agency’s probe into the irregularities committed during the PMT 2012 case “discovered that some racketeers along with their accomplices were allegedly arranging solvers for beneficiary candidates in the said examination.”

“The pairing of respective Solvers-Beneficiaries was being done by the racketeers by getting the roll numbers of these Solvers-Beneficiary candidates manipulated through Vyapam officials, such that a Beneficiary candidate was seated right behind his Solver. This enabled the Beneficiary to cheat and copy the answers from Solver. The CBI investigation also unraveled a further conspiracy including complicity of public servants of department of medical education and also management as well as college-level admission committee of four private medical colleges based at Bhopal and Indore,” the statement added.

While the allegations made by the agency against the accused persons are not new and instead are part of a pattern that can be seen in all Vyapam scam-related cases, what makesThursday’s court proceedings stand out is the decision of special CBI judge DP Mishra to continue hearing interim bail applications filed by over 30 accused well past court hours.

In proceedings that began at around 3 pm on Thursday afternoon and went on till around 2.40 am on Friday, special CBI judge DP Mishra rejected all interim bail applications moved by the accused – including pleas filed by chairman of Chirayu medical college Dr Ajay Goenka, Dr DK Satpathy, Dr Ravi Saxena, S N Saxena, Dr Vinayak Bhavsar, Dr Ashok Jain, Vinod Narkhede, and Dr S C Tiwari, People’s Medical College founding chairman Suresh Vijaywargiya, Dr Ashok Nagnath, the then joint director of People’s Medical College Dr NM Shrivastava and vice-chancellor of the People’s University Dr Vijay Kumar, among others.

During the proceedings on Thursday, the court had also issued arrest warrants against the accused persons who were not present for the Vyapam case hearing, including politically influential Ajay Goenka and Suresh Vijaywargiya, while it granted bail to 15 other accused, who had appeared before the court on the condition that they furnish bail bonds of Rs 1 lakh.

The four former Vyapam officials named in the PMT 2012 chargesheet by the CBI are then director Pankaj Trivedi, former system analysts Nitin Mohindra, Ajay Kumar Sen and CK Mishra. With the exception of Trivedi, the agency had named the others in its PMT 2013 chargesheet too.

A CBI spokesperson said about the agency’s investigation in the PMT 2012 case: “When we took over the investigation of this case, 145 accused persons were either unidentified or untraced. Majority of such accused persons were Solver candidates who in connivance with accused middlemen had given wrong addresses on their application forms and were thus, not traceable.”

The spokesperson added: “CBI used various techniques to identify these accused persons. During the course of investigation, CBI had discerned that these Solver candidates were amongst the medical college students or bright medical aspirants taking coaching in the States of MP, UP, Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Maharashtra. Painstakingly, CBI collected pertinent details of students of various medical colleges and coaching institutes spread all over these States, and succeeded in preparing a database of more than 10 lakh (approx) such students.”

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Security tightened across Delhi metro stations after bomb threat emails

Delhi is on high alert after bomb threat emails targeted metro stations, the Red Fort and the Assembly. Authorities confirmed the threats were hoaxes but tightened security as a precaution.

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Delhi Metro

Security has been intensified across all metro stations and major installations in the national capital after a series of bomb threat emails were received on Monday. Authorities later confirmed that the threats were hoaxes following detailed inspections by security agencies.

According to officials, several key institutions — including the Delhi Secretariat, Delhi Assembly, the Red Fort and two schools — received threatening emails earlier in the day. Extensive searches were carried out at all the locations mentioned in the messages, but nothing suspicious was found.

A senior police officer said cyber teams are working to trace the origin of the emails. Preliminary findings suggest that the senders may have used Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in an attempt to conceal their identities and mislead investigators. Officials expressed confidence that those responsible would be identified.

Metro stations under heightened surveillance

Following specific references to metro services in the emails, security arrangements were strengthened across the entire network of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Additional personnel have been deployed at stations, and anti-sabotage checks are being conducted.

Police said random frisking of passengers and intensified CCTV surveillance are being carried out as part of precautionary measures. Bomb disposal squads and dog squads were stationed at sensitive sites, including the Red Fort, Delhi Secretariat and the Assembly complex.

The threatening emails reportedly included the slogan “Delhi banega Khalistan” and warned of explosions at an Army school, the Assembly and the Red Fort at specific times during the day. Officials stated that all mentioned locations were thoroughly checked and declared safe.

Authorities also coordinated with counterparts in neighbouring states to enhance security at metro stations falling under their jurisdictions.

While no explosives were found, officials said the tightened security arrangements will remain in place as a precaution. Cyber teams continue efforts to trace the IP addresses and identify those behind the threat emails.

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JNU protest turns violent as Left and Right student groups trade charges

A late-night protest at JNU turned violent as Left and ABVP student groups accused each other of stone-throwing and attacks near the East Gate.

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JNU Protest

Tension gripped the campus of Jawaharlal Nehru University in the early hours of Monday after a protest march allegedly spiralled into violence, with rival student groups accusing each other of triggering the unrest.

Students claimed that the incident occurred around 1.30 am when a confrontation broke out during a march called by the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union. The protest, named “Samta Juloos”, was headed towards the East Gate and was organised to demand the resignation of Vice-Chancellor Santishree Dhulipudi Pandit and the withdrawal of a rustication order.

According to protesters, several students were injured after alleged stone-throwing during the clash. They alleged that the university administration did not intervene during the march and instead permitted members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad to confront demonstrators.

However, the ABVP denied the allegations and countered that Left-affiliated organisations instigated the confrontation and were spreading misinformation about the events.

Left-backed groups, including the All India Students’ Association, claimed that ABVP activists targeted the JNUSU encampment and hurled stones at “unarmed students”, leading to multiple injuries.

Videos shared by students on social media reportedly showed chaotic scenes near the protest site, with members of rival groups engaged in heated exchanges and physical scuffles.

University authorities did not immediately respond to queries regarding the incident. Students said the situation on campus remained tense following the overnight clashes.

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World praised India’s AI potential at AI Impact Summit, says PM Modi

PM Modi said the world praised India’s AI potential at the AI Impact Summit 2026, where 89 countries endorsed the New Delhi Declaration on artificial intelligence.

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pm modi speech

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that the world wholeheartedly praised India’s potential during the recently concluded AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi, highlighting the growing global confidence in the country’s young technology talent.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister said the summit demonstrated how the mindset of India’s youth in the field of technology would serve humanity at large. He described the event as historic and underlined the positive global response to India’s AI capabilities.

The AI Impact Summit 2026, organised in New Delhi last week, concluded with the adoption of the New Delhi Declaration on AI Impact. The declaration has been endorsed by 89 countries and international organisations, signalling broad global agreement on promoting artificial intelligence for economic growth and social welfare.

Broad global participation

The summit saw the participation of several prominent world leaders and top technology executives. Among those present were UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, French President Emmanuel Macron, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and Swiss President Guy Parmelin.

Other leaders attending the summit included Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Bhutan Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, Mauritius Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam, Croatia Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic, Serbia President Aleksandar Vucic, Seychelles Vice President Sebastien Pillay, Estonia President Alar Karis, and Finland Prime Minister Petteri Orpo.

Chief executives and senior leaders from major global technology firms were also part of the gathering.

Focus on inclusive AI growth

Held under the theme ‘Sarvajan Hitay, Sarvajan Sukhay’ (welfare for all, happiness of all), the summit aimed to position India as a global leader in artificial intelligence while ensuring that AI development remains inclusive and sustainable.

The event brought together more than 500 international AI leaders. This included around 100 CEOs and founders, 150 academicians and researchers, and 400 CTOs, vice presidents and philanthropists. Additionally, over 100 government representatives and nearly 60 ministers and vice ministers participated in discussions.

The New Delhi Declaration seeks to strengthen international cooperation and ensure that AI technologies contribute to economic progress, social good and environmental protection.

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