Himachal Pradesh: Vigilance dept to register FIR to investigate drawing master recruitment exam paper leak

SHIMLA: The State Vigilance and Anti-corruption Bureau has found incriminating evidence about paper leak during examination for 314 posts of drawing master and decided to register an FIR to investigate irregularities, said officials on Wednesday.

As many as 314 posts of drawing master were notified by the Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission (now dissolved) on May 24, 2022 and 971 candidates were provisionally shortlisted for document verification held between December 16 and 22 and the final list is yet to be published, the officials added.

The vigilance department probing the junior office assistant (IT) recruitment exam paper leak had found that many officials were involved in the paper leak scams and other irregularities committed during the past three years. The JOA (IT) paper leak scam was unearthed on December 23 last year when the vigilance sleuths arrested a senior assistant of HP Staff Selection Commission (HPSSC) Uma Azad red handed with solved question paper and Rs 2.5 lakh cash, besides laptop and other documents.

So far, eight persons, including Uma Azad, her sons (Nikhil Azad and Nitin Azad), tout Sanjeev, his brother Shashi Pal, Neeraj, Ajay Sharma and Tanu Sharma have been arrested in connection with the case. The state government had suspended the functioning of the HPSSC over the recruitment exam paper leak and postponed all the examinations to be held before dissolving the commission.