Five arrested in JPSC recruitment scam; civil services main exam postponed

The Crime Investigation Department (CID) on Wednesday arrested five persons, including a senior Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) official and the director of the private agency associated with the examination process, as the commission simultaneously postponed the 14th Civil Services Main Examination until further orders, marking a major escalation in the state’s biggest recruitment controversy.

Those arrested include Shweta Kumari Gupta, Deputy Controller of Examinations, JPSC; Ramveer Singh, Director of TSR Data Processing Private Limited; Abhay Kumar Tiwari; Mohd Usman; and Mohd Ebad.

All five were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody after the CID claimed to have gathered crucial documentary and electronic evidence during searches conducted at the JPSC headquarters, the office of TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd, and other locations.

The investigation was launched after the state government ordered a CID probe into alleged irregularities in JPSC recruitment examinations following complaints from candidates.

The controversy intensified after the commission declared the results of the 14th Civil Services Preliminary Examination on July 20, triggering allegations over the evaluation process, cut-off marks, and preparation of the merit list.

Protests by candidates and demands for an impartial investigation soon followed.

During the investigation, the CID seized examination records, servers, computers, mobile phones, hard disks, CCTV footage, and other digital evidence, all of which are being subjected to forensic analysis.

Investigators are also examining server logs, financial transactions, and data processing records to determine whether the recruitment process was manipulated and to identify the role of each accused.

Based on the evidence collected, the CID registered Case No. 16/2026 under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Jharkhand Competitive Examinations (Prevention and Redressal of Unfair Means in Recruitment) Act, 2023.

The probe has already had significant repercussions. The then JPSC chairman resigned amid the controversy, while the commission postponed the Civil Services Main Examination, which was scheduled to begin this week, leaving thousands of aspirants in uncertainty.

With the CID indicating that the investigation is still underway, officials have not ruled out further arrests as more evidence emerges.

The fallout of the CID investigation has extended beyond arrests, with the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) postponing the 14th Combined Civil Services Main (Written) Examination-2025, which was scheduled to be held from July 25 to 27.

Citing “unavoidable circumstances”, the commission also put on hold all remaining examinations listed in its 2026 examination calendar until further orders.

The decision has left thousands of aspirants in limbo, with fresh dates to be announced only after the commission reviews the situation.

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