Whistleblower’s hunt in PEB scam hits RTI roadblock

Hindustan Times: Bhopal: Saturday, 28 February 2015.

A whistleblower seeking information in the Professional Examination Board (PEB) scam through the Right to Information (RTI) has hit a roadblock.

Ashish Chaturvedi, resident of Gwalior, had brought to light the use of fraudulent means used in admissions in the Gwalior Medical College even before the PEB scam broke in July 2013.

Fraud medical admissions were among the most crucial aspects of the multi-layered PEB scam. Chaturvedi had also lodged a complaint with the Gwalior police in the matter.

After receiving several threat calls, he was provided with police protection.

To support his allegations, Chaturvedi had written two separate RTI applications in 2012, seeking information about certain candidates (with their roll numbers) who appeared in the Pre-Medical Test (PMT) in 2006, 2009 and 2010.

He also filed three separate applications with the office of the director of medical education (DME) in 2013, seeking details on fake students appearing in Pre-Post-Graduate (medical) entrance test between 2005 and 2012, students who were admitted for PG medical courses on basis of affidavits and details related to alleged fraud committed by private medical colleges for converting free seats to payment seats through admission cancellations.

Chaturvedi told HT that he has not received information even two years of filing the applications. As for the PEB applications, the board refused him information saying it involved third party interests.

On February 24, Chaturvedi’s second appeals with the State Information Commission (SIC) in both the cases were deferred for hearing till June 16 because of unavailability of chief information commissioner KD Khan.

On February 25, while hearing the second appeals related to the DME applications, the SIC directed that Chaturvedi should be immediately provided with information sought.

"However, the DME officials kept me waiting in their office for a long time and did not provide any documents," Chaturvedi told HT (documents are available with HT).

Director of medical education Dr SS Kushwaha said he does not directly deal with RTI queries, but he’d ensure that the detail was provided to the applicant.