CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has ordered a Crime Branch probe into the question paper leak scam of the junior engineer (Civil)-2022 examination conducted by the Odisha Staff Selection Commission (OSSC).
The single judge Bench of Justice AK Mohapatra issued the order on Thursday on a batch of petitions filed by candidates whom the OSSC had decided not to permit to appear in the mains examination for their alleged involvement in the question paper leak case.
Justice Mohapatra directed OSSC to allow the petitioners to appear in the main examination to be held afresh on Sunday. The judge directed the DGP to hand over the case which was probed by local police (Sahadevakhunta model police station in Balasore district) to the CID-Crime Branch. He also directed the DGP to assign an officer not below the rank of DIG to supervise the inquiry.
Justifying the necessity of a CID-Crime Branch probe, Justice Mohapatra said, “Although this court is satisfied with the prompt action taken by the local police and the investigation done so far, keeping in view the modus operandi of the racket and involvement of inter-state racket in the alleged occurrence, it would be desirable that the investigation of the case be handed over to the CID, Crime Branch, Odisha Police.”
Balasore SP had claimed to have solved the case on July 27 and revealed the question paper was leaked from a printing press in Kolkata.