ED begins money laundering probe in JPSC-2 scam, 60 named accused

SHAKEEL AKHTER

Ranchi, January 15: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has registered an ECIR (Enforcement Case Information Report) to investigate alleged money laundering linked to irregularities in the second Civil Services Examination (JPSC-2) conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC).

All 60 persons earlier accused by the CBI have been named as accused in the ECIR. The ED has alleged that ineligible candidates were illegally declared successful by manipulating written examination and interview marks, and that the process involved proceeds of crime.

Who Has Been Named as Accused

According to ED sources, the accused include:

• Six JPSC officials
• 28 candidates who were wrongly declared successful and later became officers
• 25 examiners
• One manager of M/s Global Informatics

Former JPSC Chairman and Members Booked

Those named as accused include the then Chairman and members of the JPSC.

The former Chairman, Dilip Kumar Prasad, was initially appointed as a member of the commission, later made acting chairman, and subsequently appointed chairman. He served in the JPSC from January 29, 2002, to April 13, 2010.

Several Accused Are Serving Senior Officers

Among the accused former candidates are officers of the State Administrative Service, many of whom have since been promoted to the ADM rank.

Similarly, several candidates selected in the State Police Service (DSP) have been promoted to the Indian Police Service (IPS).

The ED will now investigate the money laundering angle against all officers named in the ECIR under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Case Timeline: From ACB to CBI to ED

After allegations of irregularities in JPSC-2 surfaced, the state government initially ordered a probe by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB).

Due to slow progress, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Jharkhand High Court, which subsequently ordered a CBI investigation.

The CBI registered a preliminary inquiry in 2012 and, due to legal hurdles, filed its charge sheet in 2024, nearly 12 years later. All persons accused by the CBI are currently out on bail.

With the ED now registering an ECIR, the case has formally entered the money laundering investigation stage.

List of Accused

JPSC Officials

1. Dilip Kumar Prasad – Then Chairman
2. Gopal Prasad – Then Member
3. Shanti Devi – Then Member
4. Radha Govind Nagesh – Then Member
5. Alice Usha Rani Singh – Examination Controller
6. Arvind Kumar Singh – Assistant Coordinator (Evaluation)

Global Informatics

• Dheeraj Kumar – Manager

Candidates Who Became Officers

1. Radha Prem Kishore – DSP
2. Binod Ram – State Administrative Service
3. Harishankar Baraik – State Administrative Service
4. Harihar Singh Munda – DSP
5. Ravi Kumar Kujur – DSP
6. Mukesh Kumar Mahto – DSP
7. Kundan Kumar Singh – Finance Service
8. Mausami Nagesh – Finance Service
9. Kanu Ram Nag – State Administrative Service
10. Prakash Kumar – State Administrative Service
11. Sangeeta Kumari – Finance Service
12. Rajneesh Kumar – State Administrative Service
13. Shivendra – DSP
14. Santosh Kumar Chaudhary – State Administrative Service
15. Rohit Sinha – State Administrative Service
16. Shailesh Kumar Srivastava – Finance Service
17. Amit Kumar – State Administrative Service
18. Rahul Ji Anand Ji – State Administrative Service
19. Indrajeet Singh – Finance Service
20. Shishir Kumar Singh – State Administrative Service
21. Rajiv Kumar Singh – State Administrative Service
22. Ram Krishna Kumar – State Administrative Service
23. Pramod Ram – State Administrative Service
24. Arvind Kumar Singh – DSP
25. Vikas Kumar Pandey – DSP
26. Manoj Kumar – State Administrative Service
27. Sudama Kumar – Finance Service
28. Kumud Kumar – Cooperative Officer

Examiners Accused in JPSC-2 Irregularities

1. Omkar Nath Singh – Professor, BHU
2. Munindra Tiwari – Reader, Kashi Vidyapeeth
3. Dr. Sudhir Kumar Shukla – Professor, Kashi Vidyapeeth
4. Amar Nath Singh – Dean, Kashi Vidyapeeth
5. Rajendra Prasad Singh – Professor, Kashi Vidyapeeth
6. Tulsi Narayan Singh Munda – Assistant Professor, Ranchi College
7. Dr. Om Prakash Singh – Associate Professor, Kamala Nehru Institute
8. Dr. Yogendra Singh – Reader, Kashi Vidyapeeth
9. Dr. Mithilesh Kumar Singh – Principal, Hindu PG College
10. Dr. Ravi Prakash Pandey – Kashi Vidyapeeth
11. Dr. Bindeshwar Pandey – Associate Professor, Kashi Vidyapeeth
12. Dr. Diwakar Lal Srivastava – Associate Professor, Kashi Vidyapeeth
13. Dr. Shiv Bahadur Singh – Associate Professor, DAV College, Banaras
14. Dr. Siyaram Singh Yadav – Associate Professor, Uday Pratap Autonomous College
15. Raghuveer Singh Tomar – Professor, Kashi Vidyapeeth
16. Dr. Pradeep Kumar Pandey – Professor, Kashi Vidyapeeth
17. Dr. Madhusudan Mishra – Professor, Kashi Vidyapeeth
18. Dr. Sabhajit Singh Yadav – Associate Professor, Kashi Vidyapeeth
19. Dr. Shashi Devi Singh – Professor, Kashi Vidyapeeth
20. Dr. Ashok Kumar Singh – Associate Professor, Devendra PG College
21. Mahendra Mohan Verma – Professor, Kashi Vidyapeeth
22. Dina Nath Singh – Professor, DAV PG College
23. Albert Toppo – Retired DDC, Interview Board Member
24. Nand Lal – Head, Department of Political Science, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth
25. Sohan Ram – Retired Special Secretary, Interview Board Expert