Telangana High Court directs SIT to file fresh report on probe into TSPSC question paper leak case

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court's single bench of Justice Bollam Vijaysen Reddy on Friday directed the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the TSPSC AE question paper leak case and directed it to file a fresh status report by June 5.

Justice Reddy was hearing the writ petition filed by Balmoori Venkat Narsing Rao, State NSUI president, and two others, seeking transfer of the case to CBI or a probe by a sitting judge. During the hearing he perused the two status reports dated April 10 and 24 filed by SIT and wanted to rope in a senior IPS officer into the probe--Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad or CP Rachakonda or CP Cyberabad-- who can review the entire investigation and then file a status report and seek the nod of the State in this regard.

Justice Reddy while hearing the case observed "prima facie I am of the view that the Investigation by SIT into the question paper leak is slow..However, this court is satisfied with the investigation done so far ". He made the observation as it is more than one and a half month since the SIT had commenced its probe into the leak. But till now there is no breakthrough in unearthing real culprits.

Narsing Rao, ACP, Central Crime Station, Hyderabad (part of SIT) was present in the

court hall along with Advocate-General Banda Shivananda Prasad. The judge while turning towards them posed a series of questions--how many employees, working on outsourcing basis in TSPSC, who secured more than 100 marks and how many regular employees in TSPSC, who appeared for exams and got more than 100 marks and their relatives have been questioned.

Rao and the AG, while replying to questions said of 18 outsourcing employees, who appeared for TSPSC exam only one had NOC to appear for the examination and the others are being questioned.

The A-G informed the court that the CFSL report in the case was awaited because of which investigation has been delayed. He said the entire investigation is being done under the supervision of CP Hyderabad; SIT will file a final report on the entire investigation in a couple of days The case was adjourned to

June 5.

HC issues notices to

State & DGP in lock-up death case; directs them to

respond by June 5

PUCL files lunch

motion writ

The high court division bench comprising Chief Justice Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice N. Tukaramji issued notices to the Principal Secretary Home, DGP, CP Hyderabad, DCP North Zone, ACP Gopalapuram and SHO Tukaramgate. It directed them to respond by June 5.

CJ Bhuyan, during the hearing, observed "I think the lower level officers in the police department need to be sensitised; a third degree is not required during investigation..He died due to third degree; this has to be brought on record".

After passing oral observations, when the CJ bench issued notices, A-G said Chiranjeevi, an auto driver, is a repeat offender; six cases have been registered against him.

CJ Bhuyan said "that is immaterial; the deceased died, while in police custody; it is not acceptable".

The bench was hearing the suo motu case on the lockup death of Chiranjeevi in the Tukaramgate police station. The court took up the case based on a print media item. The bench directed the registry to tag the writ petition filed by the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), represented by its general secretary Jaya Vindhayala and wife of the deceased A Manjula, seeking a direction to register a case against the police and a direction to the State to pay compensation of Rs. 3 crore to Chiranjeevi's dependents. The case was adjourned to June 5.