BENGALURU: The Bengaluru Railway Division suspended a senior railway ticket checking staffer this week, after he was arrested by the Central Crime Branch for taking money and duping aspirants. He would promise to leak the exam question papers for the posts of constables and sub-inspectors.Deputy chief ticket inspector M Govindaraju had earlier been terminated from his deputation at the Chief Minister’s Secretariat due to behavioural issues, the CM’s office said.
A senior railway official said Govindaraju’s suspension was effected under the Railway Service Rules on March 19, following his arrest by the Central Crime Branch (CCB) on March 17. A top CCB official told TNIE that Govindaraju had taken money from aspirants with the promise that he would leak questions of the exams held in January and February. “There was no leak involved and he failed to get hold of any question paper. For his indirect involvement in the malpractice, we arrested him,” he said.
An official in the CM’s office said, “The arrested individual is not a staffer with us. He was brought on deputation to ‘Krishna’ six months ago. Since the railway staffer did not know how to behave properly, we terminated his deputation on February 7. We came to know later about his arrest in connection with the exam paper leak.”
Though an official communication from the CM office billed the exams as Karnataka Public Service Commission exams, the CCB official said the exams were only for the police force. According to a senior railway official, Govindaraju was sent on deputation to the Government of Karnataka, following a request from them six months ago. A letter from the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms on February 7 said the services of Govindaraju were terminated from the Secretariat and he was relieved with immediate effect. “He is directed to report to duty at his parent department forthwith,” it said.
Another railway official said that Govindaraju’s deputation was initially meant to last for a four-year period. However, according to service rules, anyone sent on deputation is usually sent to the parent department in case of any unethical activity, and so the deputy CTI had been sent back to us,” he said.