Ranchi, May 15: The CBI seized Rs 20 lakh cash and a stash of documents from the Ranchi residence of former JPSC chairman Dilip Prasad after raiding his and seven other premises of officials being probed for irregularities in various appointments.
“It is a part of the ongoing probe. Raids were conducted at five places in Ranchi and one each in Hazaribagh and Banka (Bihar). Scrutiny of seized materials will be done very soon,” said DIG CBI S.K Bhagat.
In all, the CBI is investigating 12 cases related to examinations conducted by Jharkhand Public Service Commission between 2007 and 2011 for various government posts. The agency stepped in after Jharkhand High Court on June 14, 2002 asked vigilance bureau to hand over the cases to it.
Prasad surrendered in February 2011. His flat at Shivangi Apartments on Purulia Road in Ranchi has been locked since last year.
Today, searches were also conducted at homes of former JPSC members Alok Sen Gupta and Gopal Prasad Singh, former JPSC secretary Alice Usha Rani Singh, partner of M/S ICONS Rajesh Nath Sahdeo and proprietor of M/s Global Infomatics Dhiraj Kumar — two firms appointed by the JPSC for printing answer sheets and question papers.
At Usha Rani’s residence, the CBI team found three bundles of confidential documents related to examinations conducted for the recruitment of lecturers and medical officers.
All of them are now lodged in Hazaribagh and Birsa Munda Central Jail. Another former JPSC member, Radha Govind Nagesh, has been evading arrest since the last three years.
“There are some incriminating documents suggesting that the JPSC members were involved in fraud. We have got a few letters from the residence of Gopal Prasad Singh in Banka suggesting the involvement of high-profile politicians.”
In the second JPSC civil service examinations of 2007-08, these members had appointed their own relatives and those of several high-profile individuals.
In the 2007 examinations conducted for the appointment of lecturers, the members were party to grave irregularities, forgery, interpolation of marks and fraud, again to favour relatives and close associates.
CBI investigations have revealed that 200 of 850 selected lecturers were close relatives or associates of the members.
Gopal Prasad Singh, who was professor of history at Godda Collage, got 73 of his relatives included in the merit list.
Among them were Tripurari Prasad Singh (brother-in-law), Jugnu Singh (daughter in law), Shankar Singh (brother), Rekha Singh (relative), Kundan Singh (son), Sailendra Singh (close friend) etc.
Another former JPSC member Shanti Kumari, also in judicial custody, got her sister Kanti Kumari, appointed as lecturer.
