2022 JKSSB SI exam paper leak: Court dismisses bail plea of ‘kingpin’

The alleged mastermind Yatin Yadav (43), a resident of Haryana’s Rewari, was arrested by the directorate of enforcement, Jammu, under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on July 24 and is presently under judicial custody

A special court here on Monday rejected the bail application of the alleged ‘kingpin’ in 2022 JKSSB sub-inspector recruitment exam paper leak case, saying “money laundering is a serious threat not only to financial system of the country but also to the global economy at large”.

The alleged mastermind Yatin Yadav (43), a resident of Haryana’s Rewari, was arrested by the directorate of enforcement, Jammu, under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on July 24 and is presently under judicial custody

The alleged mastermind Yatin Yadav (43), a resident of Haryana’s Rewari, was arrested by the directorate of enforcement, Jammu, under criminal sections of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) on July 24 and is presently under judicial custody.

The Jammu and Kashmir Service Selection Board (JKSSB) sub-inspector recruitment exam was held on March 27, 2022, but the selected list of 1,200 candidates along with 1,300 junior engineers and 1,000 finance account assistants was cancelled by the Jammu and Kashmir administration in July following allegations of paper leak and malpractice.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), which was handed over the case, had already filed a chargesheet against 33 accused, including Yadav, on November 12, 2022. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) case stems from the CBI FIR.

Hearing the bail plea of the accused, Bala Jyoti, Special Judge, Anti-corruption (CBI cases), Jammu, said the court is of the firm opinion that the application being devoid of any legal force and premature is not maintainable at this stage as the investigation is incomplete and at its infancy, besides many important witnesses are yet to be examined by the ED.

Special Public Prosecutor Ashwani Khajuria representing the ED vehemently opposed the bail plea and said the applicant has indulged in serious offences of money laundering whereby he is the kingpin of the ‘gang’ indulging in the paper leakage of the government competitive exams against the monetary payments.