Rijiju on APPSC paper leak: No one would be spared if found guilty

Itanagar: Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Friday said that no one will be spared if found involved in the Arunachal Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) question paper leak case.

Expressing his concern over the paper leak in the Assistant Engineer (Civil) exam this year, Rijiju, who hails from Arunachal Pradesh, said that the country’s top investigating agency, the CBI, should find out the truth behind the scam.

Answering questions from reporters at Naharlagun near here, the Union Law Minister, who represents the Arunachal West parliamentary constituency in the Lok Sabha, said, “Those involved in the job scam should be investigated strictly against all of us. For APPSC is the most annoying. is an independent institution and those working in it should rethink about it and its ongoing chaos.

“After the incident came to my notice, I had already spoken to the chief minister and suggested that all the members of the commission should be held responsible for the breach of public trust,” Rijiju said.
The Union Minister said that no one should influence the investigation process.

“Let the investigating agency work independently,” Rijiju said, stressing that no one should be spared if found involved in the scam.

The matter of the alleged paper leak came to light when a candidate filed a police complaint. More than 400 candidates appeared in the exam held on August 26 and 27.
In October, the state government handed over the case to the CBI. On December 8, the probe agency filed a charge sheet against 10 accused in the District and Sessions Court at Yupia near here.

The case was initially investigated by the capital police and later transferred to the Special Investigation Cell (SIC) of the state police.

Ten persons, including the APPSC Deputy Secretary cum Deputy Controller of Examinations, have been arrested by the police for their alleged involvement in the paper leak case. APPSC chairman Nipo Nabam resigned on October 14 as a result of the scandal.
The state government also ordered a separate review of all examinations conducted by the SIC since 2014 by the commission.

SIC has so far arrested thirty four people in this case.

The state cabinet on December 22 gave its approval for a separate departmental inquiry into the APPSC paper leak case, which would be independent of the ongoing SIC and CBI investigations.
It was also decided that the state government would request the High Court to designate a court exclusively for the matter.

In recognition of the efforts of whistleblowers who exposed the paper leak, the Cabinet decided to frame rules for the immediate implementation of the Whistleblowers Protection Act, 2014.