Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], September 16 (ANI): Former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday demanded the cancellation of competitive exams marred by malpractices, after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested his former Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in connection with the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) paper leak scam.
Reacting to the federal agency's enforcement action, Baghel urged the state government to conduct an unsparing probe and halt examination process irregularities immediately.
"Strict action should be taken in this matter. What is the government doing? All exams should be cancelled. Why aren't they doing that? If there has been any irregularity, they should cancel it," Baghel told reporters, pressing the authorities for decisive steps. "The government should conduct a thorough investigation into this and stop the irregularities..."
On Tuesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Bansuri Swaraj slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, taking a direct jab at his signature slogan and accusing the party of compromising the futures of young job seekers across multiple states.
Addressing the media, Swaraj targeted the Congress leadership over alleged recruitment irregularities and enforcement actions in states currently or previously governed by the party.
"It appears that the Congress party's so-called 'Mohabbat ki dukaan' deals exclusively in the business of corruption. I would like to ask Rahul Gandhi that on one hand, he speaks about students, yet when members of his own party play with the futures of the nation's youth and students, does the outcry not reach his ears?" said Bansuri Swaraj.
Swaraj highlighted three specific cases to underline her charges of systematic corruption and political patronage within the opposition party: Uttarakhand VPDO exam scam, Chhattisgarh CGPSC paper leak and Himachal Pradesh outsourced recruitment.
Meanwhile, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) arrested Utkarsh Chandrakar, nephew of former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel's PA KK Chandrakar, for allegedly collecting Rs 3 crore in cash from job aspirants against the assurance of supplying the leaked question papers of Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC)-2021.
ED's Raipur zonal office arrested Utkarsh on September 1 following search operations carried out at five premises located in the districts of Raipur, Durg, Dhamtari and Jashpur in Chhattisgarh, under the provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, in connection with the alleged irregularities, question-paper leak and corruption in the recruitment process conducted by Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) in 2020 and 2021.
In a statement citing its investigation, ED said, generation of Proceeds of Crime of "more than Rs 3 crore by Utkarsh Chandrakar and Dr Vikash Chandrakar, collected in cash from job aspirants against the assurance of supplying the leaked question papers of CGPSC-2021 examination, out of which an amount of Rs 2.80 crore was handed over to one Anil Chandrakar."
ED said Utkarsh Chandrakar used the name, position and influence of KK Chandravanshi, the then Personal Assistant to the then chief minister of Chhattisgarh and his maternal uncle, and also of the then Officer on Special Duty in the office of the then Chief Minister, for influencing job aspirants and collecting money from them.
ED investigation was initiated based on two First Information Reports (FIRs) registered by the Economic Offences Wing, Anti-Corruption Branch, and Central Bureau of Investigation in Raipur, against Taman Singh Sonwani, the then Chairman of the CGPSC and others for alleged large-scale irregularities, manipulation and corruption in the CGPSC State Service Examinations conducted during 2020-2021.
ED further said its investigation revealed that the question papers of the CGPSC examinations were leaked to the relatives of the accused persons and to selected candidates through private brokers in exchange for illegal gratification, thereby securing fraudulent selections to senior public posts including those of Deputy Collector and Deputy Superintendent of Police.
"Previously conducted searches in the matter on June 3 this year and based upon the evidence gathered, statements recorded under Section 50 of PMLA, 2002, the digital evidence retrieved from his mobile phone and analysis of his bank statements, it was established that Utkarsh Chandrakar was knowingly indulged in processes and activities connected with the Proceeds of Crime, including their generation, acquisition, possession, concealment, layering, transfer, use and projection as untainted property," said the ED.
Accordingly, the agency said it arrested Utkarsh Chandrakar on September 1, 2026, under Section 19 of the PMLA, 2002.
It further said that the September 1 search operation resulted in the seizure of incriminating documents, digital devices, financial records, property-related documents and other evidence relevant to the investigation. (ANI)
“Cancel all exams if there are irregularities”: Bhupesh Baghel demands strict action after ex-OSD’s arrest in CGPSC paper leak case
