CBI searches 37 locations in J&K over irregularities in finance dept recruitment exam

The CBI had registered a case in November last year over alleged irregularities in the examination conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday conducted searches at 37 locations in six districts of Jammu and Kashmir in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment exam of accounts assistants in the finance department held on March 6 last year, officials said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday conducted searches at 37 locations in six districts of Jammu and Kashmir in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment exam of accounts assistants in the finance department held on March 6 last year, officials said. (Image for representational purpose)

“The CBI sleuths conducted searches at around 37 locations in six districts -- Jammu, Doda, Reasi, Rajouri, Samba and Udhampur -- on the premises of accused and others, including touts, personnel of J&K forest department, CRPF, and Indian Air Force in an ongoing investigation of a case related to alleged irregularities in the written examination of accounts assistant in the finance department,” said an official spokesperson of the CBI.

The CBI had registered a case in November last year over alleged irregularities in the examination conducted by the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB), officials said.

It has booked 20 people in the case, including Neelam Khajuria, a former member of JKSSB, section officer Anju Raina, and Karnail Singh, who was then a medical officer of the BSF frontier headquarters and also an accused in the J&K Police sub-inspector recruitment examination scam case.

The examination was conducted by the board on March 6, 2022, and its results were published on April 21 that year.

The results showed a high percentage of selected candidates were from the districts of Jammu, Kathua and Reasi, leading to allegations of paper leak and other irregularities, officials said. “There were allegations regarding malpractices in the examination and the government of Jammu and Kashmir constituted an inquiry committee to look into the same.

“The report of the committee revealed the alleged conspiracy among officials of JKSSB, a private company based in Bengaluru, beneficiary candidates and others causing gross irregularities in the conduct of the said examination,” the CBI spokesperson had said after the FIR was registered on November 28.

It was also alleged that JKSSB violated rules in assigning the task of setting question papers to the Bengaluru-based private company.