Telangana HC seeks SIT probe status report in paper leak case

The high court bench, however, said the petitioner had not submitted any evidence in support of his argument that the SIT was not conducting proper investigation. It asked the state government to submit status report on the investigation by the SIT within three weeks

Hyderabad

The Telangana high court gave three weeks’ time to the state government, following a request from advocate general B S Prasad. The case was posted for further hearing on April 11. (HT Archives)

The Telangana high court on Tuesday directed that the state government submit a status report on the investigation being conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Hyderabad police on the leakage of question papers in Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) recruitment tests, people familiar with the matter said.

A division bench of the high court was hearing a petition filed by National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) Telangana unit president Balmoori Venkat seeking a comprehensive probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the recent question paper leakages in the TSPSC examinations.

The high court gave three weeks’ time to the state government, following a request from advocate general B S Prasad. The case was posted for further hearing on April 11.

Arguing on behalf of the NSUI state president, senior Supreme Court advocate and Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha said there were doubts over the conduct of recruitment examinations by the TSPSC.

“The TSPSC did not make public the list of qualified candidates of Group-1 examinations. There were reports that more than 20 candidates from one place scoring high marks. Only a comprehensive probe by the CBI will unearth the facts,” he said, adding that the petitioner had no faith in the investigation by the SIT.

The high court bench, however, said the petitioner had not submitted any evidence in support of his argument that the SIT was not conducting proper investigation. It asked the state government to submit status report on the investigation by the SIT within three weeks.

Advocate general B S Prasad said the petitioner had no locus standi in filing the petition and it was politically motivated. “While the SIT has arrested nine persons in the case so far, the petitioner claimed that only two accused were arrested,” he pointed out.

Tankha, however, brought to the notice of the court that state information technology minister K T Rama Rao clearly said the question paper leakage was done by only two persons – P Praveen Kumar and Rajasekhar Reddy. “How can he come to such a conclusion when the investigation was still on?” he asked.