Odisha hands over sub-inspector recruitment question paper leak case to CBI

The state government is considering the establishment of a permanent commission to oversee recruitment for the police and other uniformed services

Published on: Oct 23, 2025, 10:14:19 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The Odisha government has handed over the probe into the police sub-inspector (SI) recruitment question paper leak case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s office said the leak possibly involves networks in other states. (X)

Muna Mohanty, one of the main accused in the case, is among the 119 people arrested in the case. Sankar Prusty, an alleged mastermind behind the leak, is on the run.

In a statement on Wednesday, Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s office said the leak possibly involves networks in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and other states. “...with suspicion of the involvement of inter-state organised criminal gangs, the chief minister decided to entrust the probe to the CBI to ensure a thorough and transparent investigation, and to bring all those involved to justice with exemplary punishment.”

The statement said the government is considering the establishment of a permanent commission to oversee recruitment for the police and other uniformed services.

The SI recruitment examination scheduled for the first week of October was cancelled after the leak was discovered on September 30. The exam related work was outsourced to ITI Limited, a Kolkata-based government-owned telecommunications company, which contracted Silicon Techlab Private Limited in Bhubaneswar. It was later subcontracted to Bhubaneswar’s Panchsoft Technologies Private Limited.

An Odisha Police Recruitment Board official said the organisation’s limited capacity necessitated the outsourcing to the ITI Limited despite the government’s directions against doing so. “We have sought replies from ITI as to why it again outsourced the exam to a third party,” the official said.

Criminal Investigation Department officials, who probed the case, said Mohanty and Prusty worked in tandem to leak the question papers. Mohanty’s agents allegedly collected original certificates and blank cheques from aspirants in exchange for leaked question papers for ₹20 lakh and ₹25 lakh each.

Prusty allegedly ran multiple fake online test centres used to facilitate pre-exam manipulation and monitor candidates. “This was done in Vizianagaram in Andhra Pradesh and Digha in West Bengal...Prusty monitored from Delhi. Mohanty was in charge of the Vizianagaram module...Arvind Das was heading the Digha module,” said the CID additional director general Vinaytosh Mishra.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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