Papers of 30 exams conducted by HPSSC were leaked: DIG Vigilance

Papers of 30 examinations conducted by the Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission (HPSSC) were leaked, a senior police officer said on Saturday.

The state Vigilance Department is probing irregularities in 22 examinations and so far five FIRs have been registered. At least 15 people have been arrested in connection with the paper leak cases.

DIG (Vigilance) G Shiva Kumar said permission will be sought from the government under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 to register an FIR against highly placed officials under scanner in the case. He said the former secretary of the commission had been called several times for questioning and further inquiry was going on against him.

Also read: Transparent system for recruitment to be in place in 60 days: Himachal CM on paper leak row

The junior office assistants (JOAs-IT) paper leak scam was unearthed on December 23 when the Vigilance sleuths arrested senior assistant of HPSSC Uma Azad red-handed with a solved question paper and Rs 2.5 lakh cash, besides a laptop and other documents.

The state government had suspended the functioning of the HPSSC over the recruitment exam paper leak and postponed all the examinations to be held in near future before dissolving the commission.

The forensic experts examining the electronic devices recovered by the Vigilance Department in the case had found question papers, financial transactions, voice audio recordings and chats during the scrutiny of electronic data from the devices of the accused, which indicated that papers were leaked in the past as well.

Meanwhile, the employees of the disbanded commission would get their salaries for the months of February and March soon, officials said.

(With Agency inputs)