Ex-chief of MP board under scanner in exam scam

The money was reportedly collected from candidates who had received help in clearing various examinations conducted by the MPPEB.

The ongoing investigation into irregularities in examinations conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB) has thrown up the name of the body’s former chairperson Ranjana Chaudhary. The former IAS officer is currently a member of the Hyderabad bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT).

The former examination controller of MPPEB, Dr Pankaj Trivedi, who is the custody of the Special Task Force, is reported to have claimed that he gave Rs 42 lakh to Chaudhary, who headed the body for more than two years between 2010 and 2012.

STF DSP D S Baghel confirmed that the alleged transaction figures in the chargesheet filed by the investigating agency in a Bhopal court. Asked if Chaudhary would be questioned or if she had been contacted, he refused to comment. Chaudhary, a 1974-batch officer, could not be contacted.

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Trivedi is reported to have admitted that he got Rs 75 lakh from Nitin Mahindra, who was in-charge of the computer section and is also in custody. The money was reportedly collected from candidates who had received help in clearing various examinations conducted by the MPPEB.

Known to be close to former higher education minister Laxmikant Sharma, who has also been questioned by the STF, Trivedi has claimed that of the Rs 72 lakh, he gave Rs 42 lakh to Chaudhary and the remainder to his wife. He said the money was given to Chaudhary in July 2012, a month after her retirement.

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