Vyapam scam: Former MP minister out on bail

BHOPAL: Former Madhya Pradesh minister Lakshmikant Sharma, one of the main accused in the infamous Vyapam scam, was released from jail on Sunday following grant of bail by a court.

Sharma's release on bail was ordered by a district court in Bhopal on Saturday after the Jabalpur bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court accepted his bail plea the previous day.

The scam in the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (MPPEB), better known as Vyapam (Vyavsayik Pariksha Mandal), related to admissions in medical colleges in the state as well as recruitment tests conducted for various posts.

Sharma is an accused in seven cases, including those pertaining to recruitment of data entry operators, forest wardens and food inspectors, among others.

He was lodged in the central jail in Bhopal ever since his arrest on June 16, 2014, by the Special Task Force, which investigated the scam before it was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation this year by the Supreme Court.

Another Vyapam scam accused, former officer on special duty Dhanraj Yadav was released from jail on Saturday after he too got bail from court.