TNR Desk
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed two chargesheets against 88 accused in the case concerning the leaked question paper for the Himachal Pradesh Police Constable Recruitment Examination-2022. The chargesheets were presented before a court in Shimla on Monday.
The CBI mentioned that the question papers were sold for amounts ranging from Rs 3 to 5 lakh, with transactions totalling Rs 1.25 crore traced to the bank accounts of the accused. During the inquiry, departmental action was recommended against former officials of the Himachal Pradesh Police for record-keeping lapses and negligence.
According to the CBI investigation and chargesheets, two accused who were residents of Bihar conspired with others to leak the question paper. An amount of Rs 1.25 crore was transferred to the bank accounts of the accused. The investigation further exposed an organised nexus operating across six states: Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Haryana.
Through intermediaries, question papers were distributed to candidates for sums ranging from Rs 3 to 5 lakh in Mandi, Kangra, Chandigarh, Panchkula, Zirakpur, Mohali and other locations. The CBI initiated its investigation based on FIRs lodged at the Gaggal and CID-Shimla police stations.
During the investigation, the involvement of former public servants from Indian Railways and the Himachal Pradesh Education Department, as well as Junior Engineers and Junior Office Assistants of the Himachal Electricity Board, a former constable of the Chandigarh Police, a former officer of the Delhi Government, an ex-serviceman and a former Defence Accounts Officer came to light.
The investigation also revealed collusion among individuals associated with various private institutions in Nalanda (Bihar), Kangra (Himachal), Rohtak (Haryana), Delhi and Jammu. Chargesheets were filed against them and the names of these institutions are being forwarded to the NTA for appropriate action as their involvement surfaced during the investigation. The incident occurred during the written examination conducted on March 27, 2022, for the recruitment of Himachal Pradesh Police constables.
When three candidates, namely Munish Kumar, Mani Choudhary and Gaurav, arrived in Dharamshala for certificate verification on May 4, they were questioned about the name of the state’s Chief Minister, to which they were unable to provide an answer. Subsequent investigations revealed significant details.
Instances of paper leakage were discovered in various locations. Two of the initial three accused youths arrested in the paper leak case were found to have memorised questions and answers from a paper retrieved from Google on March 26, the day prior to the written examination. Despite both youths having achieved less than 50 per cent marks in their Class 10 examinations, they managed to secure over 90 per cent marks in the constable written examination.
