CUTTACK: The court of the additional sessions judge-cum-special judge (vigilance), Cuttack has rejected the bail applications of four persons arrested for their alleged involvement in leaking model answers and using unfair means in the assistant section officer (ASO) Examination-2024 conducted by the Orissa High Court.
Special judge (vigilance) Dilip Kumar Sahoo observed that several other accused are still absconding and the investigation is at a nascent stage and granting bail at this stage could lead to the accused tampering with evidence or influencing witnesses.
“Considering the larger interest of society and the future of innocent aspirants, I am not inclined to release the accused on bail,” the judge said in four separate orders, while rejecting the bail applications of Himansu Sekhar Dash, Sridhara Mantri, Nirmalaya Kumar Das and Gangadhara Jena on Tuesday.
All four, who were arrested along with two others on January 31 following an investigation into alleged large-scale malpractice in the examination process had moved for bail after the SDJM (Sadar), Cuttack rejected their bail pleas the same day.
The High Court had cancelled the July 13, 2025 main written examination following allegations of malpractice and conducted a fresh mains written examination on December 7 last year. The results of the fresh main written examination were declared on February 12. The recruitment examination was held to fill 147 ASO vacancies.
A case was registered at Lal Bag Police Station based on a complaint regarding discrepancies detected during the conduct of the examination by an outsourcing agency.
The accused have been booked under sections 318(4), 316(2), 316(5), 61(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with sections 11(1), 11(2) and 12 of the Odisha Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024.
Police have described the alleged acts as constituting organised crime and criminal conspiracy. The accused included representatives of the outsourcing agency and middlemen-brokers.
According to case records, scrutiny of answer scripts revealed verbatim reproduction of model answers and unusually high marks secured by certain candidates. Technical analysis, including examination of phone records, allegedly uncovered suspicious communication links between officials of the outsourcing agency, intermediaries and candidates. Investigators have indicated prima facie involvement of five more accused persons who are yet to be apprehended.