Vyapam Scam: CBI Court Convicts 12 in 2011 PMT Impersonation Case, Awards Five-Year Jail Terms

Indore, Dec 2025 : In a significant development in the decade-long Vyapam scam, one of India’s largest recruitment and examination frauds, a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Indore on Saturday convicted 12 accused in connection with impersonation during the 2011 Pre-Medical Test (PMT) conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, popularly known as Vyapam.

The court sentenced each of the 12 convicts to five years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹6,000 on each. Following the pronouncement of the verdict, all the convicted individuals were taken into judicial custody and sent to jail.

Of the 12 convicts, four are residents of Madhya Pradesh, while the remaining eight hail from Uttar Pradesh, underscoring the inter-state nature of the organised racket that operated during the examination. The judgment was delivered by Presiding Judge Shubhra Singh after a detailed examination of evidence and witness testimonies.

The case revealed a well-orchestrated conspiracy involving original candidates who submitted application forms, impersonators who appeared in the examination on their behalf, and middlemen who coordinated and facilitated the fraud in exchange for money. The court observed that the offence was not an isolated act but part of a systematic and organised network designed to manipulate competitive examinations for illegal gain.

In its remarks, the court stressed that such acts go beyond mere legal violations and cause serious harm to the education system. It noted that impersonation in professional entrance examinations deprives genuinely meritorious students of their rightful opportunities and undermines public trust in the fairness of competitive exams. Calling the crime a “betrayal of deserving candidates’ futures,” the court said such practices strike at the very foundation of merit-based selection.

One additional accused, who was a minor at the time of the offence, had his case adjudicated separately at an earlier stage, as per legal provisions.

The Vyapam scam came to light in 2013 and exposed a massive nexus involving middlemen, candidates, and officials manipulating entrance examinations and recruitment tests for government jobs and professional courses. The scandal gained nationwide attention due to the scale of irregularities and the mysterious deaths linked to the investigation. In 2015, the Supreme Court transferred the probe to the CBI to ensure an impartial and comprehensive investigation.

This latest conviction adds to a growing list of judgments in Vyapam-related cases, reinforcing the message of accountability. Earlier this month, courts delivered similar verdicts in other cases linked to recruitment irregularities, including the Patwari selection process.

Legal experts view the ruling as an important step toward closure in the long-pending scandal, though several cases are still under trial. Victim groups and education activists continue to demand stronger safeguards, technological checks, and stricter oversight to prevent such malpractices in future examinations.

While the convicted individuals are expected to challenge the verdict in higher courts, the immediate jail sentences are being seen as a strong deterrent against examination fraud and organised cheating networks.

Team Maverick.