No one would be spared if found involved in APPSC question paper leak case — Rijiju

Itanagar, Dec. 30 (PTI): Union Law minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday said that no one would be spared if found involved in the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) question paper leak case.

Expressing his concern over the paper leak issue in the assistant engineer (civil) exam this year, Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh said the country’s premier investigating agency the CBI is investigating the case to unearth the truth behind the scam.

Responding to questions from reporters at Naharlagun, near here, the Union Law minister who represents Arunachal West Parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha said, “Investigation should be done strictly against those involved in the job scam which is most distressing for all of us as APPSC is an autonomous body and those working in it should re-think about it and its ongoing chaos.”

“I had already spoken to the chief minister after the incident was reported to me and suggested that all the members of the Commission should be held responsible for breaching public trust,” Rijiju said.

The union minister said no one should influence the investigation process.

“Let the investigation agency work freely,” Rijiju asserted and added that no one should be spared if found involved in the scam.

The alleged paper leak case came to light after a candidate filed a police complaint. More than 400 candidates had appeared for the examination held on August 26 and 27.

In October, the state government handed over the case to CBI. A charge sheet was filed by the investigating agency against 10 accused people at the District and Sessions Court in Yupia near here on December 8.

The case was initially investigated by the Capital police and later transferred to the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) of the state police.

Ten people, including APPSC deputy secretary-cum-deputy controller of examination, have been arrested by the police for their alleged involvement in the paper leak case. The chairman of the APPSC, Nipo Nabam resigned on October 14 as a fall-out of the scandal.

The state government also ordered a separate probe of all exams conducted by the Commission since 2014 by the SIC.

Thirty-four people have thus far been arrested by the SIC in this case.

The state Cabinet on December 22 gave its approval for a separate departmental enquiry into the APPSC paper leak case, which will be independent of the ongoing investigations by the SIC and CBI.

It was also decided that the state government will urge the high court to designate a court exclusively for the matter.

In recognition of the efforts of the whistle-blower who uncovered the paper leak, the cabinet resolved to frame rules for immediate implementation of The Whistle Blowers Protection Act, of 2014.