Rigorous Imprisonment for Railway Recruitment Scam: Former Chairman and CEO Convicted

Sumit Singh

Mumbai, 30th January 2024: The Principal Special Judge for CBI cases in Hyderabad has delivered a significant verdict, sentencing the former Chairman of the Railway Recruitment Board, Mumbai, Satendra Mohan Sharma, and the then CEO of Assan-Mangalore Rail Development Corporation, A K Jagannadham, along with eight other accused to Rigorous Imprisonment (RI) of 5 years each.

This ruling is in connection with a CBI case related to the paper leakage of the 2010 examination conducted by the Railway Recruitment Board, Mumbai, for the positions of Assistant Station Master and Assistant Loco Pilot.

Details of the sentencing include Sharma being ordered to undergo RI of 5 years with a fine of Rs. 1,75,000, and Jagannadham facing the same imprisonment term with a fine of Rs. 1,31,000. Other convicted accomplices, appointed as agents to lure aspirants, were each sentenced to undergo RI of 5 years along with fines ranging from Rs. 50,000 to Rs. 75,000.

The CBI initiated the case on June 15, 2010, against certain public servants and private individuals on allegations of question paper leakage before the examination for the posts of Assistant Loco Pilot and Assistant Station Master, scheduled for June 6, 2010. The investigation revealed a conspiracy involving Sharma and Jagannadham, who were accused of leaking question papers through agents in exchange for sums ranging between Rs. 3.5 and Rs. 4 lakhs. The agents then lured aspirants nationwide, collecting amounts between Rs. 5,000 and Rs. 1,50,000, along with original qualification certificates from approximately 193 aspirants.

The aspirants were subsequently taken to Goa, Sholapur, and Nagpur, where they were coached with the leaked question papers, resulting in cheating of both genuine aspirants and Indian Railways for financial gain.

CBI searches at the official and residential premises of the accused led to the recovery of approximately Rs. 36.9 lakh in cash. After thorough investigation, CBI filed charges against 15 accused on September 13, 2010. Following the trial, the court found the convicted accused guilty, sentencing them to 5 years RI, while four accused were acquitted, and trial against one was abetted due to his death.