Sub-inspector, trainee officer arrested in Rajasthan paper leak case
Jaipur (PTI): A sub-inspector and his sister, a trainee officer of the Rajasthan Police, have been arrested in connection with a probe into the alleged leak of question papers for the recruitment of sub-inspectors in 2021, officials said on Wednesday.
Additional Director General of Police and the head of Special Investigation Team V K Singh said Jagdish Siyag, a sub-inspector of 2014 batch, had fixed Varsha as a dummy candidate for his sister Indubala and cousin Bhagwati for the recruitment exam.
Siyag, who was posted at Bharatpur SP office, was arrested on Tuesday. His sister Indubala was arrested the same day, the ADG said, adding that Bhagwati was arrested on March 5.
The officer said that Varsha took the exam for herself and also appeared as a dummy candidate for Bhagwati and Indubala. While all three cleared the recruitment exam, Varsha did not join the police force but Bhagwati and Indubala did, he said.
Indubala and Bhagwati were undergoing training as sub-inspectors at Rajasthan Police Academy.
Singh said that a total of 15 trainee sub-inspectors and one serving sub-inspector have been arrested in connection with the case so far.
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NIA court to complete framing of charges against 2010 hand-chopping case accused on May 15
Kochi (PTI): A special court here will complete proceedings for framing charges against the prime accused in the 2010 hand-chopping case involving professor T J Joseph, in which PFI activists were accused of attacking him at Muvattupuzha.
Ernakulam Special Court for NIA cases judge P K Mohandas, on April 30, heard the arguments of counsel for accused Savad and Shafeer C and decided to proceed with framing charges against the duo.
A group chopped off Thodupuzha Newman College professor Joseph's right hand in July 2010, accusing him of religious blasphemy in a question paper he had prepared.
The case, later taken over by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), resulted in the conviction of 19 accused.
The first accused, Savad, who allegedly chopped off Joseph’s palm, was arrested in Berram in Mattannur, Kannur, in January 2024, where he had allegedly been hiding under the pseudonym Shajahan.
The NIA also arrested Shafeer, who allegedly arranged shelter and provided logistical support to Savad at Chakkad and Mattannur in Kannur since 2020.
On April 30, the court heard the counsel for the accused and the NIA prosecutor on framing charges against the duo.
"On going through the documents and evidence in the case and on hearing the counsel for the accused and the prosecutor, I am of the opinion that there are grounds for presuming that the first accused has committed offences punishable under provisions of the IPC, the Explosive Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, and that the second accused has committed offences punishable under the IPC and the UAPA, and there are materials for framing charges under these provisions against the accused," the court said.
The court directed that Savad be produced and Shafeer, who is on bail, appear before it on May 15 for recording their pleas as part of the charge-framing process.
After framing the charges, the court will schedule the trial in the case.
