The Odisha Police SI recruitment scandal has deepened following revelations of a systemic conspiracy despite an earlier "clean chit" from the State Crime Branch. While the Crime Branch had cleared Silicon Tech Lab (STL) and its owner in August last year, the company allegedly orchestrated an exam-rigging plot just a month later.
The investigation, which involves a complex web of sub-contracting from ITI Limited to STL and finally to Panchsoft, was transferred to the CBI due to inter-state links. The central agency has now filed its primary chargesheet against 16 individuals, presenting substantial evidence of foul play.
Responding to the gravity of the fraud, the High Court has ordered STL to be blacklisted for five years. The scandal has sparked a major political row over how a previously cleared firm managed to compromise the integrity of the recruitment process so swiftly.