Ranchi, August 23: The investigation into the notorious JPSC and JSSC recruitment exam controversy in Jharkhand is uncovering alarming details as the CID and Special Investigation Team (SIT) delve deeper. The organized and shocking methods employed by the syndicate are coming to light.
So far, statements from key suspects and ongoing interrogations have revealed a parallel system of manipulation at every level, from the advertisement of exams to final selection and interviews. Over the past three years, this scheme has reportedly amassed crores of rupees, prompting the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to initiate a parallel investigation. Evidence suggests that Abhay Kumar Tiwari, the former marketing manager of the outsourcing agency TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL), plays a crucial role in this merit scam.
The CID has taken Abhay Tiwari into custody for the third time for three days. His wife, Sushma Tiwari, and brother, Akshay Tiwari, are also being interrogated together. Statements from the accused have revealed that specific rates were established for different stages of the recruitment process. For the 11th to 14th JPSC exams, millions were exchanged under the pretext of increasing scores for final selection and interviews. In the 14th JPSC, the rate was approximately one crore rupees for general and backward class candidates, while it was around 80 lakh rupees for scheduled tribe candidates.
Interrogation of former JPSC Deputy Controller Shweta Gupta has unveiled layers of ‘external pressure’ in this case. According to her statements, the controversial results of the 11th, 13th, and 14th JPSC exams were released under direct orders and pressure from the then-chairman, L. Khiangte. However, she distanced herself from any technical manipulation, claiming to follow senior directives. The most serious and technical aspect of this scam involves tampering with OMR sheets.
Statements from technical programmer Mohammad Ebad have revealed that designated candidates’ OMR sheets were intentionally left blank. After the exams, when the official answer key became available, correct answers were filled in those blank spaces during scanning and digital evaluation. The roll numbers of pre-selected candidates were directly communicated to the technical team for this purpose. The CID is currently conducting forensic comparisons of the original OMR sheets, their carbon copies, and digital data to gather evidence of this technical manipulation.
The investigation has also uncovered that in the JSSC-CGL exam, select candidates were charged hefty sums of 12 lakh rupees each and gathered at a secure location just before the exam. There, they were coached on approximately 65 questions. Investigative agencies are now working to unravel how these questions and their correct answers were leaked from within the system and which officials from the examination conducting bodies were involved.
The role of the outsourcing agency TDPL remains central to the investigation. A thorough examination of the agency’s digital records, access to OMR data by technical staff, and the misuse of that access is underway. Given the gravity of the situation, the CID has arrested 25 main suspects, including former JPSC chairman L. Khiangte, and sent them to jail. Following the exposure of this extensive malpractice, the state government has made significant administrative decisions, including canceling 22 recruitment processes, suspending 6, and bringing 17 other exams under investigation.
Currently, the biggest challenge for the CID and SIT is to establish the accused’s confessions as credible evidence in court, linking them to the original OMR sheets, forensic digital evidence, and the financial transaction trail.
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