CID Raids Former JPSC Chief's Residence In Exam Irregularities Probe

Ranchi: The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Jharkhand Police on Thursday conducted a search at the residence of former Jharkhand Chief Secretary and former Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Chairman L Khiangte on Kanke Road in Ranchi in connection with its investigation into alleged irregularities in the 14th Combined Civil Services Examination.

A CID team, accompanied by police personnel, examined documents and records related to the JPSC during the search. Officials did not disclose whether any documents or other materials were seized from the premises.

The search is part of the investigation into alleged irregularities in the 14th Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination. The CID has registered a case and is probing various aspects of the examination process.

On July 21, a joint team of the CID and Ranchi Police carried out simultaneous searches at the JPSC headquarters and the office of the examination-conducting agency. During the operation, investigators seized examination-related documents, computer records, hard disks, pen drives and other digital evidence.

Khiangte resigned as JPSC Chairman later that day.

Based on the preliminary findings of the investigation, the CID registered an FIR on July 22 and arrested five persons. Those arrested include JPSC Deputy Examination Controller Shweta Kumari Gupta, TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL) Director Ramveer Singh, and company associates Mohd Usman, Mohd Ebad and Abhay Kumar Tiwari. They were produced before a court and remanded to judicial custody. TDPL served as the outsourcing agency responsible for conducting processing and data management operations for the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Civil Services examination.

According to sources, investigators are examining the conduct of the examination, the preparation of results, management of digital data and the role of officials and the examination agency in the decision-making process. The search at Khiangte's residence forms part of the ongoing investigation.

The controversy erupted after the declaration of the results of the 14th JPSC Preliminary Examination, with candidates alleging irregularities, lack of transparency and procedural lapses. Following the allegations, the Jharkhand government handed over the probe to the CID.

The JPSC has since postponed the 14th Combined Civil Services Main Examination-2025 and deferred all examinations scheduled between July and September 2026 until further orders.