CBI files FIR in SSC paper leak, raids 12 locations
New Delhi, May 23: Three months after leak of a paper of recruitment examination conducted by the Staff Selection Commission (SSC), the CBI registered an FIR and conducted raids on Wednesday at multiple locations across the country, an official said.
The agency raided 12 locations, including offices of Sify Technologies Ltd, which was entrusted with holding the Combined Graduate Level (Tier II) exam, in Noida. Raids were also conducted in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Shimla, Jaipur and Patna.
A Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) official said that "the decision was taken after investigators found enough material".
The agency registered a preliminary inquiry in March to probe the paper leak, based on references from the Central government.
The SSC, which conducts examinations for subordinate services, had recommended a CBI inquiry into the paper leak in the examination held from February 17 to 22, which triggered widespread protests.
The SSC later decided not to declare the results till the CBI completed its probe.
The CBI FIR named 17 private persons, including head of the content team of Sify Technologies Ltd, as well as some unidentified officials of the SSC for their role in the paper leak.
They were booked on charges of criminal conspiracy and cheating under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Information Technology Act, 2000.
The question paper was leaked 20 minutes before the examination.
"It was alleged that computers of some candidates were remotely accessed by unidentified persons with the help of a software which was not supposed to be installed in the PCs. These candidates were helped by these persons in answering the questions. The screenshots of some questions were leaked in the social media and went viral.
"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," the CBI said.
In March, Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force and Delhi Police Crime Branch busted a gang involved in the case and arrested four persons who helped candidates cheat with the help of online app "Team Viewer".
A large number of candidates had staged protests outside the SSC office at the CGO Complex here for several days seeking a CBI probe.
Nearly 30.26 lakh candidates had registered for the Combined Graduate Level Examination, conducted to fill about 8,000 vacancies in 35 ministries and departments.
While about 15.43 lakh candidates appeared in the Tier-I exam in August 2017, about 1.89 lakh candidates were shortlisted for the Tier-II exam. Of these, 1.41 lakh candidates appeared in the exam, conducted at 206 venues in 68 cities.
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Sharad Pawar praised RSS after seeing how it burst fake narrative balloon of LS polls: Fadnavis
Nagpur, Jan 10: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar praised the RSS after realising how the outfit managed to overcome the fake narrative spread by the opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
The opposition had claimed BJP wanted to win 400 seats to change the Constitution and end reservations, a narrative which BJP leaders later claimed hit the party hard.
On Pawar praising the RSS recently, the CM said the MVA was successful in creating a fake narrative during the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
"When assembly polls were approaching, many people from diverse fields who are inspired by the RSS played their role and burst the balloon of this fake narrative. Sharad Pawar saheb is very intelligent. He would have certainly studied this aspect. He realised that this (RSS) is not a regular political power but a nationalist power. In any competition it is good to praise others," he added.
That is why Pawar may have praised the RSS, Fadnavis said.
Speaking at an interaction with senior editor Vivek Ghalsasi at Late Vilasji Fadnis Jivhala programme here, Fadnavis also said he had asked for organisational work when Eknath Shinde was made chief minister in June 2022, but senior leaders asked him to join the government.
He also said Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him not to behave like an extra-constitutional authority in the government.
He said the decision to become deputy chief minister on the command of the party leadership earned him a lot of praise from the cadre.
After the massive mandate the ruling alliance received in the 2024 assembly polls, Fadnavis said people and party workers would not have been happy if the CM was not from the BJP.
Shinde himself agreed within minutes that the CM must be from the BJP, which itself got 132 seats and was close to a majority of its own in the 288-member assembly, he added.
On Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray meeting him during the winter sessions of the legislature in Nagpur, Fadnavis said he had announced he would not indulge in politics of revenge after becoming CM and all leaders responded positively to it.
On chances of the NCP (SP) and NCP coming closer or reuniting, Fadnavis said, "If you see the developments that took place from 2019 to 2024, I realised never say never and anything can happen. Uddhav Thackeray goes to some other party and Ajit Pawar comes to us. In politics anything can happen though I am not saying this should happen."
He praised BJP leader Arun Gujarati from whom he learnt patience, which he claimed was an important quality in politics along with the ability to take criticism.
In a lighter vein, he said, "I only get angry when I am hungry. If you see me angry then give me something to eat and my anger will go away."
