2016 Bihar Class 12th toppers scam: ED registers case, books eight people under PMLA

New Delhi: The Enforcement Directorate has registered a money laundering case to probe alleged irregularities in the 2016 Bihar toppers scam case related to the state school examination board. Officials said the agency has booked a criminal case against a total of eight people, including former Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB) chairman and four principals, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The central probe agency took cognisance of a Bihar Police FIR and the findings of the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to register its own Enforcement Case Information Report (the ED equivalent of a police FIR). [caption id=“attachment_3509035” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Ruby Rai. Image courtesy: India Today[/caption] They said the agency will probe the possible ‘proceeds of crime’ generated by the accused and the alleged subsequent creation of illegal wealth by them. The scam had rocked Bihar in June 2016 after Ruby Rai, a student of VR College in Vaishali district who had topped in the arts stream, failed to answer basic questions and went on to describe political science as “prodigal science” that taught cooking. Embarrassed by the irregularities, the state government had ordered a SIT probe in the matter. Former BSEB Chairmam Lalkeshwar Prasad Singh, his former JD(U) MLA wife Usha Sinha and Secretary-cum-Principal of VR College Bachha Rai are alleged to be kingpins of the racket. The Enforcement Directorate is expected to soon record statements of the accused and also attach their assets under the PMLA law. The Bihar board’s 2017 class XII examination too was rocked by controversy as Ganesh Kumar, the humanities topper struggled to explain the basics of music, one of his subjects. He stumbled over queries posed on music, in which he scored 65 out of 70 in practicals. He seemed to have a difficult time explaining what is sur, taal and matra, considered the basics of music.