CBI’s Crackdown: Charge Sheets Against 88 Suspects in HP Police Constable Exam Paper Leak

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has taken a decisive step by filing two charge sheets against a staggering 88 individuals implicated in the leakage of question papers for the Himachal Pradesh Police Constable Recruitment Exam 2022. The charge sheets were presented today before a Competent Court situated in Shimla, marking a crucial milestone in the ongoing investigation.

The CBI’s involvement in the matter stemmed from its takeover of two cases initially registered by the Himachal Pradesh (HP) Police, as per FIR No. 41 dated May 5, 2022, at the Gaggal Police Station, and FIR No. 05 dated May 7, 2022, at the CID Police Station in Shimla. This intervention followed a notification issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India, prompted by the request of the Himachal Pradesh Government, seeking an inquiry into allegations of paper leakage and associated irregularities during the aforementioned recruitment exam.

After a thorough investigation, two charge sheets were filed. The investigation found that two people from Bihar teamed up with others to steal/misappropriate the test questions for the Himachal Pradesh Police Constable Recruitment Exam. They then sold these questions to interested candidates in places like Mandi, Kangra, Chandigarh, Panchkula, Zirakpur, Mohali, etc., for amounts ranging from around Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 5 lakh. The investigation also discovered that about Rs. 1.25 crore was transferred between the accounts of the accused during that time. It was revealed that there was a connection between organized groups in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, and Haryana in leaking exam papers.

Moreover, the investigation implicated proprietors of several private institutes in Nalanda (Bihar), Kangra (Himachal Pradesh), Rohtak (Haryana), Delhi, and Jammu, prompting the forwarding of their details to the National Testing Agency (NTA) for appropriate action. Notably, the probe also revealed the involvement of former public servants associated with the Indian Railways, the Education Department of Himachal Pradesh, the Electricity Board (JE & JOA) of Himachal Pradesh, the Chandigarh Police Constable, the Delhi Government, ex-servicemen, and officials from the Defense Accounts & Audit.

Moreover, departmental action has been recommended against certain former Himachal Pradesh Police officials for their alleged negligence and lapses uncovered during the investigation.

Around 75,803 candidates appeared in the written exam for the recruitment of constables in the police department on March 27, last year. The results came out on April 5. There were 1,87,476 applications for 1334 constable positions. Out of those, 75,803 people passed the physical tests. Then, 26,346 candidates passed the written test, which was held in 81 centers across 11 districts.