A special court in Ranchi on Tuesday, 27 October 2026, cleared the way for the trial of 12 accused in the high-profile Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) exam scam, taking cognisance of a 97-page charge sheet filed by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The accused include former JPSC Chairman L. Khiangte and former Deputy Examination Controller Shweta Kumari Gupta. The next hearing has been fixed for 10 November.

Who the Accused Are

Besides Khiangte and Gupta, the charge sheet names Ramveer Singh, Director of private examination agency TDPL; its Marketing Manager and alleged mastermind Abhay Kumar Tiwari; agency employees Mohammed Usman and Mohammed Ebad; and Hemant Kumar Verma, Pradeep Kumar Singh, Sanjay Kumar, Suman Saurabh, and Arvind Kumar. All 12 were arrested between July and August 2026 and remain in judicial custody after their bail pleas were rejected. They were produced before the special court via video conferencing from Birsa Munda Central Jail in Hotwar.

How the Racket Allegedly Operated

According to the charge sheet and case diary, investigators allege a well-organised examination racket with a structured fee system. Candidates were allegedly charged around ₹5 lakh for clearing the preliminary examination, while guarantees of final selection reportedly fetched between ₹10 lakh and ₹25 lakh.

Investigators further allege that contracts were awarded to blacklisted companies — without tendering — in return for ₹2 crore in cash and a 10 per cent commission on total billings. Among the more unusual methods cited: former Chairman Khiangte allegedly used the serial numbers of ₹10 currency notes as codes for financial transactions linked to the scam.

Travel records and mobile-location data reportedly indicate delivery of ₹2.5 lakh in cash to Khiangte's residence in Aizawl, Mizoram, according to the charge sheet.

Evidence of Paper Leak and Data Sharing

One of the most significant allegations in the charge sheet concerns the leakage of confidential examination data. Former Deputy Examination Controller Shweta Kumari Gupta allegedly shared the complete database of selected candidates with TDPL employee Mohammed Usman via WhatsApp — before the official declaration of results of the 14th JPSC preliminary examination.

Technical analysis of chat records allegedly revealed that data relating to 267 selected candidates had been shared in advance — 146 from Bihar, 82 from Uttar Pradesh, and 14 from Haryana. Information on main examination questions, answers, and category-wise cut-off marks was also allegedly leaked before official publication.

Searches at the former chairman's office and personal belongings reportedly yielded a confidential list of 15 successful candidates and eight original admit cards of Forest Range Officer main examination candidates, of whom 10 were allegedly selected later.

The Hotel Hub and OMR Manipulation

The charge sheet further alleges that mastermind Abhay Kumar Tiwari leased an entire hotel near Ranchi railway station for 11 months, allegedly using the premises as a secret operational hub. Ineligible candidates were reportedly accommodated there, and arrangements were allegedly made for manipulating OMR sheets.

Investigators said the recovery of unsealed original OMR sheets and their videography from a strong room pointed to deliberate weakening of security protocols — a finding that, if proved, would indicate systemic compromise of the examination process.

Alleged Evidence Destruction

The CID has alleged that shortly before his arrest, Khiangte attempted to destroy digital evidence by formatting his mobile phone and damaging his laptop. These allegations form part of the evidence now before the special court. The case marks one of the more elaborate exam scam investigations in recent Jharkhand history, touching state administration, a private agency, and candidates spread across multiple states.