ED arrests ex-Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission chairman in corruption linked to state service exam in 2020, 2021

The ED has arrested former CGPSC Chairman Taman Singh Sonwani in a money laundering case linked to alleged corruption, paper leak and exam manipulation

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Monday said it has arrested Taman Singh Sonwani, the then Chairman of the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC), in the case relating to corruption, question-paper leak and manipulation of the CGPSC State Service Examinations.

ED arrests ex-Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission chairman in corruption linked to state service exam in 2020, 2021 (HT File)

ED's Raipur zonal office arrested Sonwani on July 25 under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. He was produced before the Special Court (PMLA), Raipur, which has remanded him to the custody of the ED for a period of seven days, up to July 30, 2026.

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ED initiated an investigation based on a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Economic Offences Wing and Anti-Corruption Bureau (EOW/ACB), Raipur, and the subsequent investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), against Sonwani and others, alleging criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption in the conduct of the CGPSC State Service Examinations held during 2020 and 2021.

ED investigation revealed that Sonwani, while functioning as the chairman of the CGPSC, entered into a criminal conspiracy with other public servants and private individuals for leaking question papers and manipulating the selection process in exchange for illegal gratification, to secure the fraudulent selection of his own relatives and other favoured candidates to senior public posts, including the posts of Deputy Collector and Deputy Superintendent of Police.

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"Investigation further revealed that the recruitment rules of the CGPSC were amended in 2021 to remove the word "nephew" from the definition of "family", thereby facilitating the selection of the relatives of Taman Singh Sonwani. The Proceeds of Crime were collected partly in cash and partly routed through layered banking transactions," said the ED in a statement.

In his statement, the ED further said Sonwani gave evasive and non-cooperative replies and suppressed material facts. He has been arrested to trace the Proceeds of Crime, establish the money trail and identify the other persons involved.