Paper leak in the recruitment exam for the position of head clerks had created havoc in the state. The exam was conducted by Gujarat Subordinate Service Selection on the 22nd of December 2021. The authorities had denied the allegations but an FIR was filed after a basic level of investigation and the examination was eventually canceled. Asit Vora, Chairman of GSSSB immediately yet reluctantly submitted his resignation on moral grounds. The exam was rescheduled to be held in the month of March 2022.
The case has developed, the police have submitted a 14,000- page charge sheet against all the accused, and the number of accused has reached up to 56, in the court in Prantij dated 9th March before the 90-day deadline. Among these accused 33 are arrested and 23 are yet to get arrested. Among these 33 arrested 20 are students, who got the leaked papers before the exam. They got bail but are banned to give the recruitment exams held by GSSSB till the court clears their allegations. The police officials are trying to get a hold of the accused but some of them have fled the state, a lookout notice has been issued and the details of all the runaways have been provided to airports to prevent them from sneaking out of the country.
This charge sheet will be considered as one of the most voluminous charge sheets ever. It contains statements of about 133 witnesses and contains a day-to-day report of how the head clerk recruitment paper got leaked. In order to make the case water-tight, recorded statements of at least seven witnesses under Section 164 of CrPC are presented before the magistrate so that witnesses do not turn hostile during the hearing.
The charge sheet submitted in the court has mentioned Kishore Acharya as the key accused, who leaked the paper from the Surya Offset printing press located at Ambli village in Ahmedabad district. He used to work there as a supervisor. Mudresh Purohit, the owner of the press, had filed an anticipatory bail application which is still pending before the Gujarat High Court.
The charge sheet also mentions details that the exam paper, printed in Surya Offset, was brought out of the building and was then taken to a farmhouse in Unjha. It also states that while investigating a sum total of Rs 1.43 crores was seized from the accused, including Rs 86.96 lakh in cash. The exam was held by GSSSB for 186 posts of head clerks. Over 88,000 candidates were to appear in the exams at about 700 centers across the state. The exam has been rescheduled and students will now have to re-appear in March.
