Hemant Soren govt needs to confirm or contradict ‘leaked’ statements to CID

The media in Jharkhand have been publishing graphic details from the alleged confessional statements of arrested accused on how recruitment tests conducted by Lucknow-based company TDPL were manipulated and entrance examinations rigged.

The arrested chairman of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), L. Khyangte, IAS, who is also the state's former chief secretary, allegedly met representatives of TDPL at a restaurant opposite the Radisson Blu hotel in Ranchi. The next meeting between TDPL representatives and an employee in the JPSC chairman's office, identified as Dharmendra, was held at Morabadi ground, where the terms for awarding the contract to TDPL were allegedly finalised.

The 'deal' was later sealed at a meeting in the state secretariat, reports have claimed, quoting the alleged statements of Abhay Tiwari, who was working as the block supply officer in Godda and was arrested by the state CID on 22 July.

Tiwari was allegedly representing TDPL and facilitated the deal through Dharmendra. According to these reports, the arrested former JPSC chairman was allegedly offered Rs 20 million, or Rs 2 crore, on top of 20 per cent of the amount to be billed by TDPL for conducting the examinations. Tiwari was allegedly to receive Rs 25 lakh as commission.

Khyangte — who was arrested on 10 August, a day before protesters marched to the Assembly demanding a CBI probe and cancellation of all examinations conducted by JPSC and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission — has applied for bail before the special CID court. The hearing is likely to provide the former chairman's version of the events.

According to the reports, Tiwari's alleged confessional statement provides details of how candidates who paid up were favoured by tampering with the optical marking system (OMS) used for the 14th JPSC Preliminary Test in April.

Several hundred vacancies across 103 posts were advertised and 2,204 candidates were declared to have cleared the preliminary test, with the mains scheduled for late July. The OMS system allowed candidates to take their answer sheets home to match their responses with the answer key that was to be released. The answer sheets were subsequently to be machine-read, scanned by optical marking readers and uploaded for examiners to evaluate on screen.

The reports claimed that candidates who paid up to Rs 10 lakh to clear the preliminary test were advised to leave their answer sheets mostly blank and attempt only questions they were sure of. The answer sheets were allegedly filled in later by the conspirators. When rumours of the manipulation began circulating and demands were raised for scrutiny of the answer sheets of selected candidates, many of the sheets were allegedly returned to the candidates.

The CID called upon all 2,204 candidates to join the investigation and submit their OMR answer sheets. According to unverified reports published in the media, at least 300 answer sheets had been submitted by 7 August, the last date fixed by the CID. The reports also claimed that some answer sheets were recovered by the CID from the TDPL office in Ranchi, leading to the arrest of around 20 people, including directors of the company.

Statements attributed to Tiwari in the leaked reports state that a graded system of payments was agreed upon by TDPL directors and Tiwari. The amounts to be paid for clearing the mains and subsequently the interview boards were to rise progressively, reaching around Rs 70 lakh for the post of assistant range officer in the forest department.

Tiwari is also said to have furnished details of how the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination of 2024, also conducted by TDPL, was allegedly rigged through question paper leaks. He is also said to have disclosed that outstation candidates were made to sit in a rented flat in Ranchi and write the answers.

The examination was cancelled in 2024 following allegations of paper leaks, after which a re-examination was held. Some aggrieved candidates approached the Jharkhand High Court alleging malpractices. In the absence of evidence, the high court allowed the re-examination and the Supreme Court subsequently allowed the appointments to be made.

The Jharkhand CID has seemingly gathered crucial evidence and has arrested around 20 people, including the retired IAS officer. Tiwari allegedly named others as well, some of whom have been questioned but are yet to be arrested.

The silence of the Jharkhand government and the CID, which have not contradicted the media reports, is adding to suspicions of a larger scandal. The only saving grace for the state government is that the reports have not yet named any politician.

The CID has, however, questioned Ajeeta Bhattacharya, who resigned as a member of the JPSC and is the wife of JMM spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya.