CBI probe into TSPSC paper leak: Telangana HC issues notices to CS, others

Hyderabad: Telangana High Court on Wednesday issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Principal Secretary, Home Department, Director, Central Bureau of Investigation, New Delhi, and others in a petition seeking a CBI probe into the TSPSC Group-1 Preliminary exam question paper leak

Notices were also issued to Chairman TSPSC, Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad, Special Investigation Team constituted to probe the TSPSC Group-1 Preliminary exam question paper leak, and directed them to respond to the Notices within 3 weeks.

A division bench of Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justice T. Vinod Kumar directed the officials cited to respond to the notices duly replying to the contentions of the petitioner, who is challenging the decision of constituting the SIT to probe the question paper leak case.

This PIL was originally filed on 20th April 2023, but the High Court registry did not allot a number as it raised some objections, which were to be cleared by the petitioner.

GP for Home Mamidi Roopender informed the court that a Writ Petition seeking a CBI probe into the Group -1 preliminary exam question paper is pending before a single bench. He said the SIT has already filed 3 Status reports duly informing the court of the progress it has made in registering cases against the culprits, identifying the candidates who obtained more than 100 marks and money received by the accused, and the stage of the investigation.

Public Interest Litigation is filed by Bakka Judson, an active worker of the Congress, who is seeking a direction to hand over the investigation to the CBI.

The petitioner contends that SIT is headed by A.R. Srinivas IPS, Additional CP Crimes, who himself is an accused in a Contempt Case, He said when such is the credential of the SIT Chief, how can the investigation be fair, contends the petitioner.

S. Sharat Kumar, Counsel for the petitioner informed the Court that SIT has filed cases on the lower rank officers viz., an Assistant Section Officer a System Analyst, and a couple of officials. He said the SIT has left out top rank officers of the TSPSC, who possess the password for the question papers viz., the Chairman and the Secretary.

The petitioner said due to frequent question paper leaks in the TSPSC, the youth of the state are slipping into depression as the youth are crossing the eligible age for appearing in various competitive examinations held by the TSPSC.

Further, the counsel alleged that the state government has appointed a retired IAS officer as the Chairman of the TSPSC when the state has so many IAS and IPS officers in service, who could have been given the responsibility.

It is pertinent to inform here that the Writ Petition by. Balmuri Venkat Narsing Rao, NSUI Telangana State President, seeking a CBI probe into the TSPSC question paper leak is pending before Justice C.V. Bhaskar Reddy.

The matter has been adjourned by 3 weeks.