The Central Bureau of Investigation, probing the alleged Sub-Inspector recruitment examination scam in Odisha, may examine senior IPS officer Susanta Kumar Nath if required. The central agency has formally approached the state government seeking permission under Section 17A of the Prevention of Corruption Act to bring the former Odisha Police Recruitment Board chief within the purview of its inquiry. The state Home Department had sought an update on August 3 regarding the investigation status and Nath’s role. In its reply, the agency confirmed that the entire examination process remains under scrutiny, including the recruitment board, outsourced service providers, and other stakeholders, though no criminal involvement of Nath has been established at this stage.
Name dropped from DGP selection panel
Government sources revealed that the state had earlier forwarded a panel of eligible officers, including Nath, to the Union Public Service Commission to shortlist candidates for the post of Director General of Police. However, following the response received from the CBI regarding the ongoing inquiry, Nath’s name was reportedly withdrawn from the list of probables. The agency noted that questioning of the senior officer and officials from the examination-conducting agency would be determined only after obtaining the statutory approval under Section 17A and evaluating fresh evidence gathered during the probe.
Paper leak prompted CBI takeover and 131 arrests
The Combined Police Service Examination 2024, scheduled for October 5 and 6 to fill 933 positions, was abruptly cancelled on September 30 after a question paper leak came to light. Following political and public uproar, the state government handed over the case on October 22 to the CBI due to suspected interstate links. The agency registered the case on November 12 and submitted a preliminary chargesheet against 16 accused on December 26. An organised racket allegedly demanded up to Rs 25 lakh per aspirant for question papers. Enforcement agencies have made 131 arrests so far, including 117 by Berhampur Police, eight by the state Crime Branch, and six by the CBI.
Multi-layer outsourcing exposed recruitment vulnerabilities
The recruitment drive covered 609 police Sub-Inspector posts, 253 armed Sub-Inspector posts, 47 fire station officer posts, and 24 assistant jailer posts. Investigators found that the agency selected by the recruitment board outsourced question paper preparation to a Bhubaneswar-based private company, which subsequently engaged another local firm to supply manpower at exam centres. This layered subcontracting compromised security and created systemic vulnerabilities. The CBI is currently scrutinising paper preparation, vendor agreements, and logistics handling, while key functionaries of both outsourced firms have already been arrested by the Crime Branch.
