Telangana Governor seeks information on status of TSPSC paper leak issue

HYDERABAD: Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan on Thursday sought to know the latest development in the state public service commission paper leak issue, even as the ruling BRS and the Opposition Congress and the BJP entered into a war of words over the matter.

Raj Bhavan wrote letters to the chief secretary, Director General of Police and TSPSC secretary, seeking a report on the latest status of the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) examination papers leakage case within 48 hours, a Raj Bhavan press communique said Thursday night.

It sought information on the status report on the alleged leakage, including the ongoing probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT), according to the communique. The TSPSC was asked to furnish details of its regular and outsourcing employees who appeared for the examinations with or without permission from the Commission and their performance in the exams and preparatory leave apart from the present status of the case, it said.

Meanwhile, a release by ruling BRS leader and I-T Minister K T Rama Rao's office said he would issue legal notices to state BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar and Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president A Revanth Reddy for making "false and baseless allegations" against him in the issue.

Legal notices would be issued to the Congress and BJP leaders as they sought to defame the BRS government by dragging Rao's name into the paper leak issue, it said. The minister said both the opposition parties were making allegations against him and the state government, not knowing that the public service commission was an autonomous body, adding that it only shows their ignorance.

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TSPSC paper leak

The public service commission had been set up to conduct the recruitment process independently, but Sanjay Kumar and Revanth Reddy were seeking to portray the paper leak as an issue happening within the ambit of the government, Rao, the son of Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, alleged. He also claimed that the "misinformation campaign carried out by the Congress and the BJP" was part of a conspiracy to stall the recruitment process undertaken by the Commission.

Responding to media reports that Rao would issue a legal notice to him, the state BJP president said he would fight legally and by taking it to people. On Thursday, Revanth Reddy appeared before the SIT after being summoned to give evidence over his allegations in connection with the case. Speaking to reporters after appearing before the SIT, he alleged that by issuing notices to him and state BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, the SIT officials tried to frighten both of them.

Referring to reported comments of Rama Rao, including that the paper leak was the fault of two individuals and not an institutional failure, Reddy urged the SIT to also issue notice to Rama Rao. A senior police official told PTI that Reddy “did not produce any evidence”.

Asked if they are contemplating any action against him, the official said, “We are taking legal opinion and will proceed accordingly." Earlier, Congress workers protested over the notice issued to Reddy as he appeared at the SIT office here. Police said three more people, including a woman, were arrested by the SIT in connection with the case.

With the latest arrests, a total of twelve people, including three employees of TSPSC, a contract employee of the Commission, two candidates and a police constable, have been arrested since March 13 over their alleged involvement in the data breach -- for stealing and leaking question papers of TSPSC's Assistant Engineer (Civil) examination, among other exams.

The Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) on March 15 cancelled the Assistant Engineers (AE) exam held on March 5, following allegations that the question paper had been leaked. Amid protests by opposition parties and students' groups over the alleged question paper leak, the Commission on March 17 cancelled the Group-I preliminary exam and two other tests as well.