E-tender scam: SC orders MP court to finish trial, pronounce judgment in one year

BHOPAL: The Supreme court has asked a trial court in Madhya Pradesh to conclude the trial and pronounce the judgment in ‘e-tendering’ scam within 12 months.
The apex court dismissed a special leave petition (SPL) bail plea filed by one of the accused who had been in jail for the last two years. Order was issued last month.
"We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned judgment passed by the High Court. Consequently, the Special Leave Petition is dismissed. However, the trial court is directed to conclude the trial and pronounce the judgment within a period of one year from the date of receipt of the copy of this order. Pending applications, if any, also stand disposed of," court ruled.
A day after registering an FIR into the Rs 3000-crore e-tendering scam against directors of seven private companies, unknown bureaucrats and politicians, Madhya Pradesh state economic offences wing (EOW) had rounded up three software professionals and raided a company jointly operated by them for allegedly hacking government portal and ‘modifying contents’.
Those detained were identified as – Vinay Chaudhary, Varun Chaturvedi and Sumit Golwarkar. Their joint venture company Osmo IT Solutions located in Mansarovar complex was raided for seizure of computers and laptops.
IP addresses of the systems that was used to breach the e-tendering software of Madhya Pradesh state electronic development corporation (MPSEDC) was allegedly traced to the desktop and mobile phones of the aforesaid company and its directors. Unauthorized accesses were made into the portal using encryption keys via internet connections used by this company, say officials.
Company’s proprietor, Vinay Chaudhary, had been denying his role with any tenders floated by MPSEDC in his statement to EOW. According to him, his company, which has a licensed load runner, was contracted to conduct performance testing of the e-tender portal, and the work was cancelled within two days of its award.
E-tendering is said to be the biggest ever ‘scam’ that the agency ever investigated. The probe began in mid-June 2019 on the orders of former chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The then chief secretary BP Singh asked EOW to begin an investigation based on an interim report submitted by former director of MPSED, senior IAS officer Manish Rastogi, after the cancellation of nine tenders.