SSC paper leak: SC directs CBI to file case diary, status report
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Tuesday directed the CBI to file the case diary and the status report of the investigation in the 2017 SSC exam paper leak case.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said it will take up the matter for hearing on April 11.
The apex court on April 1 allowed the Staff Selection Commission (SSC) to declare the result of a re-examination of SSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) 2017 held last year.
The top court had said that lakhs of unemployed youths have suffered because someone from the organisation was corrupt.
The examination papers of the SSC CGL 2017 were allegedly leaked, leading to huge protests from job seekers for several days.
Amid the protests, the SSC had recommended a CBI probe into the allegations of paper leak.
On August 31 last year, the apex court stayed the declaration of result of the SSC CGL and CHSL Examination, in which lakhs of students had appeared, saying it seemed that the entire test and the system was "tainted".
The apex court then favoured cancelling the 2017 SSC examination, and holding it afresh by the National Testing Agency or the CBSE "in the interest of students".
However, the Centre said that there was no need for re-examination of entire paper as the leak was "extremely localised" and those behind the leaks were identified and action was taken.
On January 10, the apex court favoured setting up of a three-member high-powered committee comprising Nandan Nilekani, co-founder of tech giant Infosys, and renowned computer scientist Vijay P Bhatkar to suggest reforms for conducting of competitive examinations.
The SSC is a government body which conducts examinations to recruit staff at multiple levels in various ministries and departments.
Several lakh students appear in the SSC examination each year and enter government services in Group C and D Categories of jobs once they qualify.
The SSC Combined Graduate Level exam has a four-tier system, in which tier I and tier II are computer-based, while in tier III and IV, job applicants take up a descriptive paper and a computer proficiency test or skill test.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
