RRB Recruitment Exam Paper Leak: Ex-Chairman and Nine Others Sentenced to Five Years in Prison

In a significant development, a special court in Hyderabad has convicted the former chairman of the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) in Mumbai, Satendra Mohan Sharma, and nine others for their involvement in the leak of exam papers for the recruitment of 1,936 assistant station masters and assistant loco pilots in 2010. The court has sentenced them to five years of rigorous imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs 1.75 lakh on Sharma and Rs 1.31 lakh on another accused, AK Jagannadham.

The case dates back to June 2010, when the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) booked the accused for leaking examination papers for the recruitment process. It was alleged that Sharma and Jagannadham had conspired with other accused to leak the question papers through agents for a payment of between Rs 3.50 lakh and Rs 4.00 lakh. The agents, who were appointed by the accused, lured aspirants across the country and collected various amounts ranging between Rs 5,000 to Rs 1,50,000 and original qualification certificates from about 193 aspirants.

The aspirants were taken to Goa, Sholapur, and Nagpur, where they were tutored with the leaked exam papers. The CBI had conducted searches at the official and residential premises of the accused, which led to the recovery of cash worth Rs 36.90 lakh. During the investigation, 15 accused were arrested, and later, 10 of them were convicted, while four were acquitted, and one’s trial was abetted due to his death.

The CBI filed the charge sheet within three months of the incident, on September 13, 2010. After a thorough trial, the court found the convicted accused guilty and sentenced them to five years of imprisonment. The total fine slapped on all 10 accused amounts to Rs 7.87 lakh. This conviction is a significant blow to those who attempted to undermine the integrity of the recruitment process and highlights the CBI’s efforts to ensure justice is served.