POINTSMAN: As MPSC chairman, Karnik allegedly oversaw the recruitment racket

SCAMSCAN The scandal centres on tampering with answer sheets. The results of 398 students have been put under scrutiny.

When officials of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) swung into action following a complaint by the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) about suspected irregularities in the examination process, they knew what to expect. Coming in the wake of the multi-crore rupee recruitment scam in the Punjab Public Service Commission a few months ago, it was clear that the credibility of public recruitment authorities was at stake.

The worst fears of the investigators were confirmed during the simultaneous raids that were conducted on 14 different places. They found that officials-high and low-from not just the MPSC but also outside had come together in a lucrative task wherein the destinies of thousands were being altered. Among those allegedly involved are the high-profile former MPSC chairman and now UPSC member S.D. Karnik (his plush Dilwara flat in south Mumbai has been sealed), Baban Kadam, deputy superintendent of police (State Intelligence), S.G. Sarode, former MPSC controller of examinations, Eknath Vegare, an assistant in Mantralaya, Sunil Patil, an MPSC candidate, and Farook Ahmed Kadge, a computer expert with MPSC. Besides charges of criminal misconduct, breach of trust, cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy, these men have been accused under the Anti-Corruption Act, 1988, of possessing wealth disproportionate to known sources of income.

The scam, involving over Rs 25 crore, centres on the MPSC's last recruitment drive where the answer sheets of some candidates were found to be tampered with. For a Rs 3-5 lakh price, a student could get his original papers replaced with fresh ones. Says S.S. Puri, director-general, ACB: "The subversion of the examination process is in itself a big crime."

The first signs of suspicion arose when some candidates complained of foul play after seemingly undeserving aspirants were called for interviews. The interview process was immediately frozen but 130 candidates had already cleared the interview. The results of 398 students were then put under scrutiny.

According to the police, the scam was a smooth operation. With the help of duplicate keys, a set of MPSC officials would enter the office at night, produce copies of answer sheets, distribute them among candidates who approached them and then replace the original papers with the fresh ones. But one oversight gave it all away. Says: Dhare, joint commissioner, ACB: "The replaced answer sheets had the same serial numbers as the originals but the supervisors' signatures did not tally."

As the police dig deeper into the case, the sealing of Karnik's house has caused special concern. It was during his tenure as MPSC chief that the racket allegedly thrived. Significantly, he had sought a reassessment of the exam results due to a technical snag. Based on certain documents, there is a prima facie case against Karnik, whose earlier term as vice-chancellor of Mumbai University was also ridden with controversy. Karnik, who is believed to be close to some senior Shiv Sena ministers at the Centre, flatly denies the allegations. While the truth will come out in due course the immediate fallout has been predictable: the next round of MPSC exams due on August 11 has been postponed, raising a fresh volley of questions.