B’luru court rejects anticipatory bail pleas of two toppers

A sessions court in Bengaluru has rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of two candidates accused of indulging in malpractice to obtain high marks in an examination conducted to recruit police sub-inspectors (PSI) for the Karnataka police department.
The Sessions court rejected the anticipatory bail pleas of Jagrut S, the fourth rank winner among male candidates, and Rachana H, the first rank holder among women, on the basis of prima facie evidence submitted by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The two candidates have also moved the Karnataka High Court against the CID probe. They are among 22 named in an FIR for alleged involvement in fraudulent practices to score high marks in the police exam to recruit 545 sub-inspectors in October 2021.
The two argued in the high court that they have been named in the FIR registered at the High Grounds police station in Bengaluru on the basis of a complaint lodged by a CID official without evidence of their involvement in the exam scam.
During the court hearing for anticipatory bail moved by the two candidates, when the orders were passed on May 20, the CID stated that there was prima facie evidence to show the involvement of the two in the exam scam. The state prosecutor argued that the accused candidates colluded with others to secure selection through the police recruitment exam and that sanction of bail will send a wrong message to society.
According to the CID investigation, 172 candidates who took the police recruitment exam in centres across Bengaluru were asked to appear before the investigating agency with copies of the OMR sheets that they were given after submitting the original OMR sheets during the exam.
While four candidates were unable to produce carbon copies of their OMR sheets (where the objective questions were answered) the remaining 168 produced the copies, and the OMR sheets of 22 candidates were found to be out of order during a forensic analysis, the CID has stated.
On April 28, 2022, a report was obtained from the Forensic Science Laboratory which indicated that there are differences between the original and carbon copies of the OMR sheets of 22 candidates and it prima facie suggests instances of malpractice, the CID said.
Among the 22 candidates named for suspected fraud in the exam are male candidates who secured the third, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth ranks in the exam as well as the first rank winner among women candidates.
As many as 45 persons have been arrested in the police exam scam by the CID since investigations began in April. They include candidates, police recruitment cell officials, owners of a school in Kalaburagi where exams were held, and several middlemen. The scam surfaced after it was found that one of the selected candidates who obtained 121 marks in the exam had answered questions for 31.5 marks out of a total of 150 marks.
As many as 54,287 candidates took the police sub-inspector exam in October 2021. The police recruitment cell declared the selection of 545 candidates in January this year. Thirty selected candidates have been accused in the exam scam so far and over 20 have been arrested.