ED arrests former Chhattisgarh PSC chairman Sonwani in paper leak, corruption case

Raipur, July 27 (AHN) The Directorate of Enforcement's (ED) Raipur Zonal Office has arrested the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission's (CGPSC) former Chairman Taman Singh Sonwani in a case involving corruption, question-paper leak and manipulation of the CGPSC State Service Examinations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002, an agency release said.

Sonwani was arrested on July 25 under Section 19 of the PMLA and produced before the Special Court (PMLA), Raipur.

The court sent him to ED custody for seven days, till July 30, it said.

The ED initiated its investigation on the basis of an FIR registered by the Economic Offences Wing/Anti-Corruption Bureau (EOW/ACB), Raipur, and the subsequent probe conducted by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The case alleges criminal conspiracy, cheating and corruption in the conduct of the CGPSC State Service Examinations held during 2020 and 2021.

According to the ED, Sonwani, while functioning as Chairman of the CGPSC, entered into a criminal conspiracy with other public servants and private individuals. The objective was to leak question papers and manipulate the selection process in exchange for illegal gratification so as to secure the fraudulent selection of his own relatives and other favoured candidates to senior public posts, including those of Deputy Collector and Deputy Superintendent of Police.

Investigation further revealed that the recruitment rules of the CGPSC were amended in 2021 to remove the word "nephew" from the definition of "family" and this change facilitated the selection of Sonwani’s relatives.

The proceeds of crime were collected partly in cash and partly routed through layered banking transactions. In his statement recorded under Section 50 of the PMLA, 2002, Sonwani gave evasive and non-cooperative replies and suppressed material facts. The ED stated that he has been arrested to trace the proceeds of crime, establish the money trail and identify other persons involved in the racket. Further investigation is in progress.