Chhattisgarh HC denies bail to ex-commission secretary accused of leaking exam paper to son

NEW DELHI: The Chhattisgarh high court has rejected the bail plea of a retired IAS officer and former Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) secretary accused of helping leak question papers of the 2021 state civil services examination to his son. The court said the allegations involved the fairness of the recruitment process and found material showing the officer’s alleged role in the leak.The court passed the order on August 5, rejecting the bail plea of Jeevan Kishor Dhruv, who has been in judicial custody since September 18, 2025.What is the allegation against the former CGPSC secretary?According to the court’s order, Dhruv was serving as secretary of the CGPSC when the 2021 civil services examination was conducted. The prosecution alleged that he kept confidential question papers and passed them on to his son, Sumit Dhruv, who was a candidate in the examination.The CBI alleged that copies of questions and answers from paper 7 (general studies) and the question-cum-answer booklet of paper 2 (essay) were recovered during a search of Dhruv’s residence.The investigation also found that Sumit Dhruv had practised essays on four topics — cryptocurrency, the Russia-Ukraine war and the role of the United Nations, development of Dantewada district, and the Chhattisgarh Tonahi Pratadna Nivaran Act. The prosecution said all four topics later appeared in the main examination. Sumit Dhruv was subsequently selected as a Deputy Collector.The CBI also told the court that out of 47 questions in paper 7, 42 were identical to questions recovered from the applicant’s residence. It said the question-cum-answer booklet recovered from the residence was identified as belonging to Sumit Dhruv.Why did the court reject his bail plea?Justice Bibhu Datta Guru noted that the prosecution had collected documents, witness statements and material recovered from Dhruv’s residence that, at this stage, pointed to his involvement in the alleged conspiracy.The court said the alleged leak affected not just individual candidates but the fairness of the entire recruitment process.“A person who indulges in facilitating leakage of question paper relating to competitive examinations, plays with the career and future of lacs of young aspirants,” the court observed.It said the allegations against Dhruv were particularly serious because he was holding the post of CGPSC secretary and was responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of examination material.“Having considered the entire fact situation of the case; particularly considering the role attributed to the applicant who while functioning as Secretary, CGPSC, abused his official position by retaining confidential question papers of the CGPSC Main Examination, 2021 and supplying the same to his son,” the court said.The court also noted that the four topics allegedly practised by his son later appeared in the examination and that the material recovered from Dhruv’s residence, along with witness statements and other documents, prima facie indicated his involvement.“Considering the specific role attributed to the applicant, the gravity of the allegations and their adverse impact on the sanctity of the public recruitment process, this court is not persuaded to exercise its discretion in favour of the applicant,” the bench observed.Dhruv’s lawyers had argued that he had informed the authorities that his sons were appearing for the examination and had asked to be kept away from confidential examination work. They also said the investigation was complete, the charge sheet had been filed and he had been in custody for several months.The court, however, said the material collected during the investigation was sufficient at this stage to show his alleged involvement and that the case was not fit for bail. The bail application was accordingly rejected.