64 Jharkhand officials under vigilance scanner

RANCHI - Sixty-four deputy collectors appointed in 2006 are under the Jharkhand vigilance bureau’s scanner for alleged irregularities in their appointments, official sources said here.

The vigilance bureau has sought copies of 64 successful candidates from the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) who were appointed as deputy collectors in the first JPSC examination held in 2006. A majority of them are posted in different districts of the state.

According to official sources, the vigilance bureau is investigating alleged wrongful appointments of administrative officers by the JPSC. The second batch of JPSC candidates had earlier come under the vigilance scanner.

“The vigilance bureau has almost completed the investigation of the second JPSC batch. Of the 187 successful candidates, the appointments of 33 have been found selected in a wrong way,” an official source told IANS.

The second JPSC examination was held in 2007-08 and much hue and cry was made over allegations that relatives of politicians and JPSC members were appointed through wrongful means.

The investigation by the vigilance found the charges to true in the case of 33 candidates where their marks were falsely boosted to show that they had passed the exam.

The Jharkhand vigilance bureau lodged a first information report (FIR) June 12 against 32 people, including former JPSC chairman Dileep Prasad, three former members of the commission and 19 officials. After the FIR was filed, the personnel department had asked these 19 officials to report for work in Ranchi, but none of them obeyed the orders and are reportedly absconding.

The 19 officials include eight block development officers (BDOs), six deputy superintendents of police (DSPs), four state finance service officials and one cooperative service official.

The state government had sought the legal department’s opinion on sacking them without issuing a show cause notice. The legal department, according to sources, has suggested that a notice be first issued and then the process of terminating their services be initiated.

In the last nine years, the JPSC has conducted three examinations for the state administrative services. The results of third JPSC exam was declared Sunday.