Indore, Dec 27 In a major judgment in the long-running Vyapam scam -- one of India's largest recruitment and examination frauds -- a special Central Burau of Investigation (CBI) court in Indore on Saturday convicted 12 accused persons of impersonation in the 2011 Pre-Medical Test (PMT) conducted by the Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board (Vyapam).
Each of the accused persons were sentenced to five years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 6,000.
The convicts, sentenced for impersonating others as examinees, have been sent to jail following the court order.
Of the 12 accused, four hail from Madhya Pradesh, while the remaining eight are from Uttar Pradesh, highlighting the inter-state nature of the organised racket.
Presiding Judge Shubhra Singh, after a detailed trial, held the accused guilty of systematic fraud.
The case involved original candidates who submitted applications, imposters who appeared in their place, and middlemen who conspired and designed the deception for monetary gain.
The court emphasised that such crimes not only violate the law but also inflict grave injustice on meritorious students, robbing them of rightful opportunities in medical admissions.
"This is a betrayal of deserving candidates' futures," the court noted.
One additional accused, a minor at the time of the offence, had his case adjudicated separately earlier.
The Vyapam scam, which surfaced in 2013, exposed a vast nexus involving officials, politicians, and racketeers manipulating exams for government jobs and professional courses.
Thousands were implicated, with multiple deaths linked to the probe adding to its notoriety.
Investigations were transferred to the CBI on Supreme Court orders in 2015.
This conviction adds to a series of judgments in Vyapam-related cases, reinforcing accountability.
Earlier this month, similar sentences were handed down in other fraud instances, including Patwari recruitment irregularities.
Legal experts hail the verdict as a step towards closure in the decade-old scandal, though numerous cases remain pending.
Victim advocates stress the need for stronger safeguards to prevent future malpractices in competitive examinations.
The sentenced individuals are expected to appeal, but the immediate jail terms signal stern deterrence against examination fraud.
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