Rajasthan: 14 trainee sub-inspectors arrested for using unfair means in recruitment exam sent to six-day police custody

Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India], March 6 : Day after several trainee Rajasthan Police sub-inspectors, including the one who topped the recruitment exam, were detained on Monday for allegedly clearing the test in 2021 by using unfair means, 14 of them were produced before the local court on Wednesday following which the court sent them to six days police custody.
Prahlad Bajiya, the Advocate for the Special Operation Group (SOG) which was probing the case said that while the police sought custody for 12 days, the court granted them a custody of six days.
"The SOG presented 14 individuals in the Rajasthan paper leak case...The SOG wanted 12 days of police custody. The Honourable Court granted police custody for six days. They will be presented again on March 12," Bajiya said.
Speaking about the claim from the defendant's side that the trainee sub-inspectors were kept under detention illegally, the Advocate said, "From the defendant's side, it was claimed that they were illegally detained and there is no evidence against them. But the investigation officers and I argued that we needed to collect evidence and we need to find out the places where they were given money, how they got hold of the papers, which sources helped them and from which place."
"So the court gave us police custody...We argued before the court that this was not an illegal detention. We have brought them legally for questioning and investigation. And when there was sufficient evidence to arrest them, we arrested them and presented them before the court," he added.
The Advocate also said that instead of going into the punishment, there is a need to look at the seriousness of their crimes as they had committed a grave social crime.
"Though 419 is a bailable offence, 420 has a punishment of seven years. If you look at the seriousness of the case, you will see how big a social crime it is. They played with the future of so many meritorious youths," Bajiya said.
According to the Rajasthan Police, the detained trainee cleared the exams allegedly by using leaked question papers and dummy candidates, the police said.
"Concrete action is being taken by the SIT to curb paper leaks. SIT has also issued a helpline number- 9530429258. Major action by the Rajasthan Police in Sub-Inspector Recruitment Exam paper leak," the Rajasthan Police said in a post X on Tuesday.
A team of the police's Special Operations Group (SOG) reached the Rajasthan Police Academy and detained the suspects undergoing training there.
Taking to social media platform 'X' (formerly Twitter), Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, on Tuesday said, "Paper leaks incidents are being controlled in the new Rajasthan of new India. SIT formed to prevent paper leak gets major success."