Over 2.4 Lakh Recruitees from Past 5 Years to Face Investigation in Rajasthan Exam Scandal Probe

Jaipur- With the election buzz over and the state's governance returning to normalcy, the Bhajanlal government has taken a significant step by ordering a thorough investigation into the recruitments of the past five years.

The previous Gehlot administration had been marred by allegations of widespread paper leaks and arrests linked to exam fraud.

During the five-year tenure of the Congress government, numerous instances of exam paper leaks and organized cheating were uncovered, casting a shadow over the credibility of Rajasthan's institutions.

In response, the Special Operations Group (SOG) had previously written to the government, emphasizing the need for a meticulous review of the documents related to government employees recruited during this period. The call was for a comprehensive examination of everything from answer sheets to admission tickets and degrees.

In light of these concerns, the Bhajanlal government has now issued orders to investigate the recruitments carried out during this period.

This move has sent shockwaves among those who secured government jobs through dishonest means, including connections with cheating mafias and using fake degrees.

The investigation is expected to uncover significant irregularities in government recruitments.

Following a letter from the SOG to the Chief Secretary, the Personnel Department circulated this directive to the relevant departments.

The SOG had previously exposed frauds in various exams, including the PTI recruitment, where fake degrees, certificates, and dummy candidates were used to pass exams.

The 2021 SI recruitment scam led to the arrest of over a dozen trainee inspectors who had cheated their way into positions.

SOG sources indicate that further major discrepancies have been identified in other recruitments, prompting the renewed call for document verification.

Government employees are backing the government's decision, claiming that a detailed investigation will expose the "black sheep" within the system.

Speaking to The Mooknayak, Ramesh Chandra Pushkarna, State President of Shikshak Sangh Rashtriya, said, "Our union supports the order. Securing a government position through fraudulent means is unjustifiable. It deceives and robs meritorious candidates of their opportunities. Once a thorough and fair investigation is conducted, the wrongful candidates will be removed, giving deserving unemployed individuals a fair chance."

Similarly, Arun Vyas from Shikshak Sangh (Siyaram) expressed support, noting that over 17,000 recruitments have taken place in the education department. "The investigation will filter out the wrong people," he stated.

The focus of the investigation includes degrees, sports certificates, and other documents from suspicious universities both within the state and from other states.

The SOG has registered approximately 30 FIRs related to exam fraud, with 24 of these involving the use of dummy candidates to pass exams.

Acting on the SOG's recommendations, the state government has ordered the verification of educational documents of successful candidates from the past five years' recruitments.

While this is a substantial step, it has instilled fear among fraudsters and hope among diligent competitive students, who see this as a step towards a fairer future.

The Personnel Department has issued orders for each department to form a confidential committee to scrutinize the educational documents of successful candidates.

There is evidence suggesting significant fraud in recruitments over the past five years. As such, documents ranging from admission tickets to answer sheets and other submitted materials will be closely examined.

The PTI recruitment is among the most suspect, with many candidates allegedly using forged documents.

Sources indicate that from 2019 to 2023, five major recruitment exams were conducted across various departments.

These included 5,546 PTI positions, 10,000 computer instructors, 9,760 senior teachers, 3,000 CET graduate-level positions, 6,000 school lecturers, 460 librarians, and 3,531 CHOs, amounting to around 240,000 recruitments in total, with some results still pending.

During this period, several gangs involved in paper leaks, organized cheating, and the use of dummy candidates were apprehended. The most significant frauds were identified in the 2021 SI recruitment, librarian, Grade III, junior civil engineer, REET-2021, police constable-2021, forest guard, senior teacher Group A, and other exams where question papers were leaked.

The controversy surrounding REET, the examination held for recruitment of teachers in Rajasthan in 2021, had become a major political hot potato for the then Ashok Gehlot-led Rajasthan government in the state.

This investigation marks a pivotal moment in restoring the integrity of government recruitments in Rajasthan, promising a more transparent and merit-based process in the future.