2017 Haryana judicial exam paper leak: Delhi Court sentences former judicial officer to 5 years in jail

A Delhi Court on Thursday sentenced Punjab and Haryana High Court's former Registrar (Recruitment) Balwinder Kumar Sharma and one candidate of the Haryana Civil Services (Judicial Branch) Examination 2017 to five years imprisonment for their role in a paper leak of the judges' exam..Special Judge (PC Act) Anju Bajaj Chandna found the former judicial officer Sharma and candidate Sunita, who had topped the exam, guilty of various offences under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC)."Balwinder Kumar Sharma was the most potential source from where the question paper could be leaked as he only was having exclusive possession of question paper of HCS (JB) Preliminary Examination 2017. Since accused Sunita was in close relationship with accused Balwinder Kumar Sharma and was also candidate of the exam, she got the copy of question paper from Balwinder Kumar Sharma and became the beneficiary of the conspiracy," the Court ruled.Another candidate Sushila was also convicted in the case but on a lesser charge of receiving the stolen property under Section 411 of the IPC, for acquiring the question paper from Sunita. She was sentenced ton the period already undergone by her. The remaining six accused were acquitted in the case. .In 2017, Sharma, a judicial officer from Punjab, was accused of leaking the question paper to some candidates. A candidate Suman had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the judicial side alleging that there was a paper leak. It was found that Sharma and Sunita knew each other well and were frequently in contact. According to the prosecution, Sunita had got a question paper of the preliminary examination from Sharma and then supplied it to Sushila.The High Court later cancelled the examination and handed over the probe to a Special Investigation Team. The Supreme Court in 2021 transferred the trial in the case to Delhi..Sharma, 56, who was a judicial officer for about 27 years, had remained in custody for nine months and 15 days before the culmination of the trial.Sunita, 50, who is a practicing advocate, had remained in judicial custody for about 11 months and nine days during the pendency of the investigation and trial..Judge Chandna, who is Rouse Avenue Court's Principal District and Sessions Judge, while sentencing the convicts, observed that a paper leak generally results in the postponement and cancellation of exams, disrupting the schedule and loss of important timelines."It not only impacts the public employment system and aspirants adversely but also shakes the trust and confidence of the society at large. In my opinion, offenders are to be dealt with strictly as a strong message is required to be sent against such offences," the judge said..The Court also observed that in a country, where unemployment remains a constant worry, paper leak menace adds to delay in recruitments and thus adversely affects the efficiency of government departments and administrative agencies."In order to restore the faith in the process of examination, the issue of paper leaks has to be dealt with by effective implementation of specific stringent laws. The notification of Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act 2024, is a welcome step in this direction but preventive measures against such malpractices must be put in place by introducing long term reforms. The aim and objective must be to bring greater transparency, fairness and credibility to public examinations," the judge stressed..Senior Public Prosecutor Charanjit Singh Bakhshi represented the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Special Public Prosecutor Manoj Garg also appeared in the case.Advocates Ramesh Kumar Bamal, Syed Hasan Isfahani, Naveen Kumar, Uday Singh, Anil Kumar Gupta, Sameer Chandra and Arun Khatri represented the accused..[Read Judgment and Sentencing Order]