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HPSSC ex-secretary to face trial in paper leak case
The investigating agency has already filed a 626-page chargesheet against eight accused, including the Uma Azad, a former senior superintendent in the secrecy branch of the HPSSC, her two sons Nikhil and Nitin Azad, servant Neeraj Kumar, tout Sanjeev Kumar, his brother Shashipal and two aspirants Ajay Sharma and Tanu Sharma.
Days after dissolving the Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission (HPSSC), Hamirpur, the state government has given sanction to prosecute its ex-secretary Jitender Kanwar in a paper-leak case.
The state vigilance and anti-corruption bureau, which is probing the case, would file a supplementary chargesheet in the court against the Himachal Pradesh Administrative Service Officer on March 1 when the case comes up for hearing, said sources in the vigilance department.
The investigating agency has already filed a 626-page chargesheet against eight accused, including the Uma Azad, a former senior superintendent in the secrecy branch of the HPSSC, her two sons Nikhil and Nitin Azad, servant Neeraj Kumar, tout Sanjeev Kumar, his brother Shashipal and two aspirants Ajay Sharma and Tanu Sharma.
The question paper of junior office assistant-information technology was leaked by the HPSSC’s senior staff on December 23, after which the government had suspended the functioning of the recruitment agency, eventually dissolving it last Tuesday.
The vigilance SIT, during the investigation, found out that HPSSC staff was leaking out papers of various recruitment exams for the past three years, ever since Uma Azad was posted in the secrecy branch, the wing which has the responsibility of keeping the papers safe and confidential.
Kanwar has also been under suspension in the paper leak case and the vigilance had sought permission from the government to prosecute the officer. He was posted as secretary HPSSC for about six years.
The paper-leak racket was busted in December last year when an aspirant tipped off the vigilance bureau about some HPSSC staff contacting him with a promise to provide him the question paper of the JOA (IT) exam if he pays them ₹2.5 lakh.
After the complaint, the vigilance bureau team raided the house of the main accused and arrested her, along with five others, with the JOA (IT) question paper and ₹7 lakh cash. Two more question papers of recruitment exam for the posts of computer operator and junior auditor were also found at the house of the main accused.
Later, the vigilance bureau formed an SIT to probe other complaints of paper leak in the HPPSC.
The investigation found that eighteen papers of recruitment exam to various posts were leaked by the accused in three years, and peons and drivers at the HPSSC had also bought papers for their kin.
Meanwhile, the government has locked down the HPSSC complex and deployed police force there. The employees, however, are coming to the HPSSC for the last two days only to be turned away by the police.
The government has shifted all pending recruitments, process for which was already underway, to Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (HPPSC), Shimla, till a new agency is formed.
