Supreme Court to hear Digvijay Singh's plea on July 9

In a related development, the Supreme Court agreed to hear on July 9 the plea of Congress leader Digvijay Singh and three whistle-blowers seeking an Apex Court-monitored CBI probe into the scam.

Late on Monday night Mr Chouhan was reportedly asked by the party high command and top echelons in the Narendra Modi government to allow a CBI probe, which he had been refusing to permit so far.

More than 45 people allegedly linked to the scam have met unnatural deaths. The head of the court-monitored SIT, which is probing the scam, Chief Justice Chandresh Bhushan (Retd), said in Bhopal that the deaths associated with the case do not look “mysterious” but come forth as “abnormal”.

Justice Bhushan said he has asked the STF to “inquire” into these cases and tell the SIT how “these fellows have died”. The Madhya Pradesh CM, who, too, has been linked to the scam along with a host of top politicians, bureaucrats, and his family members, has also come under pressure to quit.

Meanwhile, Union law minister Sadananda Gowda embarrassed the government by describing the Vyapam scam as a “silly issue” and saying the Prime Minister “need not comment on this matter”.

Hailing Mr Chouhan’s announcement, the BJP claimed that a thorough investigation will “expose and corner” the Congress.

The party also accused the Opposition party of practising “politics of death”, insisting that only the judiciary can take a final decision about any form of investigation. Senior BJP leader and Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad attacked the Congress for making statements on the scam out of its “agony” due to repeated defeats, claiming that the government has nothing to hide in the case as the SIT, which is being monitored by the High Court, was formed by it.

The Congress, however, denounced the move by the CM to request the High Court to order a CBI probe in the Vyapam scam and insisted on a Supreme Court-monitored CBI probe.