SC calls for answersheets of Chhattisgarh judges' exam

New Delhi -  The Supreme Court Tuesday asked the Chhattisgarh government to place before it the original answersheets of some candidates who cleared an exam for  recruitment of civil judges in 2008.

There were allegations of irregularities in the exam to favour candidates related to influential people in the state.

The apex court bench of Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice Anil R. Dave asked senior counsel Vinod Arvind Bobde, appearing for Chhattisgarh to place before the court the original  answersheets of some candidates.

The court was hearing a petition filed by NGO Centre for Public Interest Litigation (CPIL), which also presented photocopies of some answersheets.

Bobde was asked to submit the originals of the answersheets whose photocopies were given to court by the petitioner.

The court also asked the senior counsel to file an affidavit stating the procedure for the evaluation of the answersheets.

The CPIL sought an independent inquiry into the alleged irregularities, manipulations and corruption in the evaluation and selection of civil judges (entry level) and the quashing of the

exam.

Appearing for the CPIL, counsel Prashant Bhushan told the court that in order to favour some candidates, their scores in the answersheets were manipulated.

He told the court that in one case a candidate who appeared in the exam was given just 7 marks for an answer but it was raised to 27. It was realised later that the maximum marks for the

question were 25 and the score was changed again.

"A close scrutiny of the answersheets of the candidates obtained under the right to information indicates irregularities," the petition said.

The alleged irregularities were committed by disregarding the Chhattisgarh High Court's instruction which mandated the evaluators to record the marks in words, along with numerals.

"The scrutiny of the answersheets of two successful candidates, who happen to be the siblings of Radhey Shyam Sharma, the legal secretary of Chhattisgarh, indicates that the marks have

been awarded only in numerals, not in words," the petition said.

The alleged scam came to light through a right to information application moved by a unsuccessful candidate, Rashmi Nanda, Sep 27, 2008.

The court would next hear the case Aug 30.