Former SSC official among 2 guilty in examination irregularities case

Ramkrishan Upadhyay

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 3

Dr Sushil Kumar Garg, special judge, CBI court, held two persons guilty in a nine-year-old exam irregularities case and acquitted all students named in the FIR.

Those found guilty include Naveen Sehgal, former Deputy Regional Director of Staff Selection Commission (SSC), Kendriya Sadan, Sector 9, Chandigarh.

The court will pronounce the quantum of sentence on March 5. The other accused is Satish Ahlawat, the then senior auditor of the PCDA Western Command, Sector 9, Chandigarh.

The court has convicted them under sections 120-B, 420 read with 511, 468 read with sections 471 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 15 read Section 13 (1) (d) read with 13 (2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. The convicts have been taken into custody.

The CBI had booked Sehgal and others in April 2012 for allegedly committing forgery, cheating and other irregularities during a written examination for sub-inspector-level posts in police organisations such as the CRPF, ITBP, NCB and other paramilitary forces.

The written examination was held in Ambala in September 2011. After receiving the complaints, the investigation agency became suspicious about the role of then senior SSC officials when it learned that nine candidates were selected from one room of the examination centre.

Two candidates, who failed to clear the written examination, also filed a written complaint with the CBI in this regard. Different teams of the CBI conducted searches in the houses of the accused and students who had cleared the written examination. After the investigation, the CBI registered a case against officials and candidates for forgery and cheating under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, on the complaint of the Chairman, SSC, Delhi.

He alleged that the accused SSC officer abused his position and committed a criminal misconduct in connivance with others and 16 candidates thereby attempting to cheat the government/ SSC by manipulating the conduct of the examination.

Out of 16 candidates whose seating plan was adjusted, so as to enable them to appear from the same room, seven came out as all-India toppers in the examination. The appointment of nine candidates was also withheld by the Centre after the case was registered. The CBI filed the chargesheet against the accused in October 2013 in the CBI court. The CBI court framed charges against the accused in 2014. The two accused then became approvers in the case during the trial.

Terminder Singh, counsel of one of the accused students, said before court that there was no evidence found against the accused during the investigation.

After the pronouncement of the Judgment, convict Naveen Sehgal was perplexed and a doctor from the Civil Dispensary, District Courts, Sector 43, and Chandigarh were called to the spot, who found him stable and normal.