In a significant development, the Bihar government has ousted SK Singhal, Chairman of the Central Selection Board of Constables (CSBC), from his position following the cancellation of the constable recruitment exam due to a paper leak. The decision, issued by the state home department, comes almost three months after the embarrassing incident.
Shobha Ohotkar, a 1990 batch IPS officer and Director General-cum-Commandant General of Bihar Home Guards and Fire Services, has been appointed to assume the additional charge of the CSBC until further orders.
Singhal, a former Bihar Director General of Police (DGP), was appointed as the head of CSBC on January 14, 202 term. The constable recruitment exam, with a massive 21,391 vacancies, witnessed over 1.8 million applicants. However, the three-day exam scheduled for October 1, 7, and October 15 was marred by a question paper leak on the first day, leading to the cancellation of the entire process.
The government faced significant criticism and embarrassment, with the Opposition alleging the involvement of influential figures in covering up the case. In response to the uproar, the government took action, filing 74 First Information Reports (FIRs) across 23 districts and making 80 arrests.
The Economic Offence Unit (EOU) investigation into the CSBC paper leak suggested the early involvement of influential individuals and the leakage of questions, possibly from the printing press or treasury, to facilitate timely delivery of answers to beneficiaries.
This incident echoes the 2017 Bihar Staff Selection Commission (BSSC) clerk grade exam paper leak, which led to statewide chaos and the arrest of top commission officials, including the chairman Sudhir Kumar (IAS) and secretary Parmeshwar Ram.
