Former JPSC Chairman L Khiangte arrested in exam irregularities case amid protest

Ranchi: In a major development in the investigation into alleged irregularities and a merit scam in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission’s (JPSC) 14th Civil Services Preliminary Examination, the state police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on Monday arrested its former Chairman L. Khiangte.

According to the CID, Khiangte’s alleged involvement has emerged in connection with bribery and the violation of established procedures while awarding the examination contract to TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL), an outsourcing agency that had previously been blacklisted. Investigators claim that the contract was awarded to the agency by bypassing prescribed rules and procedures.

TDPL, a Lucknow-based company, was blacklisted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) in May 2025 over allegations of irregularities. Despite the blacklisting, the company allegedly continued to receive contracts for conducting examinations, including those of the JPSC.

The CID stated that Abhay Tiwari, the marketing manager of TDPL, who was earlier arrested in the case, disclosed during interrogation that Khiangte allegedly accepted a bribe of around Rs 2 crore from the company in exchange for awarding the contract. Tiwari further alleged that Khiangte received a commission amounting to 20 per cent of the total contract value.

Before his arrest, the CID questioned Khiangte for more than 30 hours across four separate interrogation sessions. During the investigation, officials also found that the then Controller of Examinations had submitted a written objection regarding the decision to award the contract to TDPL.

According to investigators, the Controller had informed senior Commission officials about the agency’s past record and specifically highlighted that the JSSC had blacklisted and de-listed TDPL on May 20, 2025. Despite these concerns, the contract was allegedly awarded to the company on a nomination basis rather than through an open tender process.

During questioning, Khiangte reportedly defended himself by claiming that the Commission was unaware of TDPL’s blacklisted status at the time the contract was awarded. He attributed the lapse to an administrative oversight. However, the CID continued its probe into his role in the matter.

Earlier, the agency conducted raids at Khiangte’s official residence on Kanke Road and at the JPSC office, seizing several documents and electronic devices as part of the investigation.

With Khiangte’s arrest, the CID has now arrested 19 accused in the case. Those arrested include JPSC Deputy Controller of Examinations Shweta Kumari Gupta, TDPL Director Ramvir Singh, Abhay Tiwari, and the former Chairman’s computer operator, among others. The CID has also sealed TDPL’s offices in Ranchi and Lucknow.

The investigating agency is continuing its probe to identify other officials and individuals linked to the examination irregularities and the suspected parallel syndicate operating behind the scam.

IANS