Hyderabad: The special investigation team (SIT) probing the TSPSC question paper scam told the Telangana High Court that out of the 18 accused, 17 had been arrested. The SIT informed the court that it had issued a lookout notice for one accused who is in New Zealand.
The SIT told the High Court that it had seized key electronic evidence and submitted for forensic testing, while making submissions on a writ petition seeking a CBI probe into the case.
Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy was hearing the petition filed by Balmoori Venkat Narsing Rao, and Advocate-General B.S. Prasad furnished the report before the court on behalf of the SIT.
After perusing the report, Justice Vijaysen Reddy asked the Advocate General whether counsel for the petitioner could be permitted to see it to better assist the court.
The Advocate General opposed it stating that the petitioner was not an aggrieved party. He said certain reports from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory were awaited and investigation was still underway.
Vivek Tankha, senior counsel from the Supreme Court, appearing for the petitioner, insisted upon a CBI probe IT minister K.T. Rama Rao had placed the investigation details in the public domain on March 18. As such, the SIT was reporting to the minister and not the High Court.
Hence, senior counsel said, a CBI probe must be ordered. The court was informed that the Enforcement Directorate had commenced a probe on the transfer of money.
Tankha reiterated that the court should look into two aspects — the question paper leak and the money transferred to various persons.
Following this, Justice Vijaysen Reddy directed the Advocate General to submit to details of how many outsourced persons in the TSPSC were issued hall tickets, appeared for the exam and cleared it, and how many got more than 100 marks. The case was adjourned April 24.
