CUTTACK: Holding that question paper leaks in public recruitment examinations strike at the very foundation of merit-based selection, the Orissa High Court on Friday refused to grant bail to 14 accused in the alleged High Court Assistant Section Officer (ASO)-2024 recruitment examination paper leak case. The accused were arrested in January and February this year.
Justice Gourishankar Satapathy observed that leaking question papers and supplying model answer sheets to candidates corrodes the morale of meritorious candidates and amounts to a crime against society. “No civilized society can ever accept the leaking of question papers in recruitment examination to government posts,” the court said.
He held that public recruitment examinations demand the highest standards of integrity and transparency. “The leakage of public recruitment exam papers is not merely a common criminal offence; it is a direct assault on the socioeconomic fabric of the society and shatters the public trust in meritocracy,” Justice Satpathy said.
The court acknowledged that the charge sheet had already been filed and the accused had remained in custody for some time. However, it ruled that these factors alone were insufficient to justify their release considering the gravity of the allegations.
According to the prosecution, the intermediaries allegedly collected between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 4 lakh from aspiring candidates after promising them success in the examination. Candidates were allegedly taken to coaching centres in Bhubaneswar, Cuttack and Berhampur, where they were supplied handwritten model answers identical to the actual examination questions and instructed to memorise them before appearing for the test.
During investigation, the agency seized question papers, model answer sheets, mobile phones, hard disks, other electronic devices, financial transaction records and candidate data. Investigators also analysed call detail records to trace the alleged conspiracy.
The recruitment process had attracted 32,239 applications for 147 ASO posts. While 32,189 candidates were found eligible and 20,260 appeared in the preliminary examination, 7,116 qualified for the main examination, in which over 5,000 candidates appeared.
The main examination was subsequently cancelled following allegations of question paper leakage and widespread malpractice.
