RAIPUR: The Chhattisgarh high court has directed that the appointment of 18 PSC-selected candidates, who are close relatives of the top brass of the state Public Service Commission (PSC), other bureaucrats, politicians, and businessmen, would be subject to the final outcome of the petition challenging their selection.
A division bench, comprising chief justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice NK Chandravanshi, gave these directions while hearing a petition filed by BJP veteran and former state Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar. The petition demanded a high-level probe, preferably by the CBI, into the selection of candidates.
Appointment orders of a couple of candidates have already been issued and it would also be subject to the final outcome of the petition, the order said.
The 80-year-old petitioner, a sitting MLA, submitted that due to corruption and favoritism, relatives of the state PSC chairman, PSC secretary, other high-ranking officers, politicians, and prominent businessmen featured in the final selection list. Annexing a list of these 18 candidates and mentioning their relations with powerful individuals, the petitioner stated that this has raised serious questions about the credibility of a constitutional body like the Chhattisgarh Public Services Commission.
The petition alleges that the 'scam' has severely shaken the confidence of thousands of young aspiring students and the general public.
A total of 171 posts across 20 categories of services were advertised by the PSC on November 26, 2021, with an amendment dated December 31, 2021. The preliminary examination took place on February 12, 2022, with 2,565 candidates qualifying for the Mains examination held on May 26, 27, 28, and 29. A total of 509 candidates cleared the examination and were declared eligible for interviews conducted from September 20 to 30, 2022. Subsequently, the selection list of candidates for 170 posts was issued on May 11, 2023.
The petition alleges that PSC Chairman Taman Singh Sonwani and Secretary Jeevan Kishore Dhruv (retd. IAS) continue to hold their posts despite the current petition concerning corruption and illegal appointments made during their tenure. The petitioner prayed for a direction to the state government to take strict action, including the cancellation of the CGPSC 2021 examination, besides initiating departmental inquiries against the officials concerned, in accordance with the law.
The petition further states that after the publication of the results, widespread protests and objections occurred due to the revelation of extensive corruption and favoritism. The petition urges the court to direct the state government to take strict actions, including the cancellation of the examination and the initiation of departmental inquiries against officials involved, in accordance with the law.
After the controversy broke out, according to the petitioner, the PSC suspiciously and malafidely issued a tender for the destruction of question papers, OMR answer sheets, etc. The petition said the auction on June 5 this year showed that CGPSC intentionally issued an auction in the name of unused papers relating to documents, OMR sheets, answer sheets, and envelopes of examinations. He noted that the result of the examination was declared on May 11 this year.
The petitioner said since the name of influential persons, closely connected with the state government, is involved in the present mega scam, no proper inquiry has been conducted to date by any independent impartial agency despite the assurance given by the chief minister.
It also came to light that Nitesh, who was referred to as the son of the PSC Chairman Taman Singh Sonwani, is actually the son of one Rajesh, the Sarpanch. The Chief Justice expressed displeasure with the petitioner's lawyer upon hearing this. Similarly, an intervention application was also submitted by another candidate Pragya Nayak.
