TSPSC paper leak: HC asks govt to furnish details of outsourced employees who wrote exam

Hyderabad: Telangana High Court has asked the government to furnish the details of outsourced TSPSC employees who were issued hall tickets and appeared for exam.

A single bench of Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy was hearing a writ petition filed by Balmoori Venkat Narsing Rao, President, NSUI, and two others seeking an investigation into the TSPSC paper leak case by a sitting judge or CBI.

Advocate General Banda Shivananda Prasad furnished the status report in a sealed cover to the Court on the investigation of SIT in the TSPSC paper leak case.

Vivek Thanka, senior Supreme Court counsel, appeared for the petitioner Balmoori Venkat Narsing Rao. He urged the judge to direct the state to serve a copy of the status report to the petitioner to enable him to assist the court.

Advocate General BS Prasad made an objection that an investigation is going on and therefore, it can't be shared with any third party.

Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy observed that after filing the charge sheet, any document submitted before the Court is a public document.

Thanka submitted to the court that international ramification and hawala is involved in this case. He said SIT chief is guilty of contempt and a minister is disclosing the details of the investigation. He said the future of 30 lakh students is at stake. As such, it is a fit case to transfer the case to CBI, Thanka argued.

Advocate General BS Prasad submitted that the Court can't consider it since they are all assumptions. He said the SIT is doing its investigation properly. Moreover, material evidence were sent to Central Forensic Science Laboratory for analysis and reports are awaited.

Further, out of 18 accused in the case, 17 have been arrested and are on judicial remand. Another accused is in New Zealand and efforts are on to arrest him. The state will not spare anyone who is involved in this leak case, AG Prasad said.

Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy asked Advocate Genera: "As per the newspaper reports, it came to know that outsourced employees who are working for TSPSC have appeared for its exams. How can they be issued hall tickets and permitted to write exams? How can they could have access to confidential data".

Tankha insisted on a CBI probe as the investigation details are in the public domain. He reiterated his contention that the court should look into two aspects --question paper leak and money transfer.

The enforcement directorate has already stepped in and has commenced a probe into the transfer of money.

IT Minister KTR on March 18 divulged all details pertaining to SIT investigation. Hence, the SIT is reporting to the IT Minister, not the High Court. The senior counsel insisted upon a CBI probe.

Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy, after hearing both sides directed Advocate General to prepare a list of outsourced TSPSC employees who were issued hall tickets and appeared for the exam. And how many cleared the exam. How many got more than 100 marks?

The matter has been posted to April 24.