The CBI has registered an FIR and conducted raids at multiple locations across the country, including Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Shimla, Jaipur and Patna in relation to the SSC paper leak scam. In addition to that, the offices of Sify Technologies Ltd., which held the Combined Graduate Level (Tier II) exam in Noida, were also raided.
“The agency has registered Preliminary Inquiry on 8th March against unknown officers/officials of SSC, Government of India and other unknown persons for misconduct. Now we have registered a regular case into the matter,” said a senior CBI officer. The case was registered under section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 420 (cheating), Prevention of Corruption (PC) Act and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
The FIR includes names of 17 entities including seven students, nine officials of Sify Technologies Ltd. and the head of the Sify content team, Sant Prasand Gupta. “The seven students identified had the same paper sequence, which had been leaked. The seven labs in which it had leaked along with the nine site supervisors, have been named in the FIR,” Livemint quoted an unnamed source.
The SSC had recommended an inquiry into the matter into the alleged paper leak during the examinations held from 17th to 22nd February this year. A CBI officer asserted that “the decision was taken after the investigators found enough material in the matter”. The CBI further said, “The answer keys of the Quantitative Ability (QA) examination on February 21 were found in the social media at 10.10 a.m, even as the examination was scheduled to be held at 10.30 a.m that day.”
We had earlier reported that the Chairman of the SSC in an official statement had assured of a CBI probe into the matter if the allegations made by the protesting candidates were substantiated. He had said then, “In continuation with the earlier discussions held with the protesting candidates of CGLE 2017, a delegation of the candidates met with the Minister of State, Ministry of Personnel, Pension and Public Grievances… After hearing the delegation, it was directed by the Hon’ble minister that though the paper 1 of 21.2.2018 was cancelled by the SSC on account of technical issues, to inquire into the allegation of leakage of this cancelled paper, the evidence being provided by the candidates be taken on record and if found substantiated, the matter will be referred to CBI for further enquiry.” The government had then ordered a CBI inquiry into the matter after taking the aspirants’ demands into consideration.
