Local Congress leader among two more held

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 22

Almost a week after the Punjab and Haryana High Court rapped the UT police for “putting chillies in its eyes” in the Haryana (Judicial) paper leak case, the police on Tuesday arrested two more accused, including a local Congress leader. Five arrests have been made in the case so far.

The SIT, constituted by the police, arrested Congress leader Sunil Chopra and Ayushi Godara (22). Ayushi, who was a roommate of Sunita, another accused in the case, was arrested from Jhajjar in Haryana. The police said both Ayushi and Chopra were conspirators and agents, who arranged the candidates.

Both accused were produced in the court. The police sought a five-day remand. However, Ayushi was sent given four-day police remand, while Chopra was remanded in police custody for two days.

Chopra, whose name had cropped up during Sunita’s interrogation, was questioned several times in the past few months. He was finally arrested on the basis of Ayushi’s disclosure statement.

Chopra, alias Tithu, is the president of the Sector 19 temple where the beneficiaries of the paper leak resided, argued the district attorney before the duty magistrate. It was also mentioned that accused Balwinder Sharma used to visit the temple frequently to meet Sunita. Defence counsel Malkit Singh Jandiala opposed it claiming that the police were trying to falsely implicate people simply because they faced the ire of the High Court regarding the investigation.

Stating that the accused was the chairman of the temple management, the defence counsel stated that Sunita used to reside in one of the 18 rooms there and if Balwinder Sharma visited Sunita, that didn’t mean Chopra was involved in the crime. 

An FIR in the paper leak case was registered on September 19, 2017, after the Punjab and Haryana High Court recommended scrapping of the HCS (Judicial) preliminary examination. 

Three persons, Registrar (Recruitment) Balwinder Sharma and two beneficiaries — Sunita and Sushila, were booked by the police. A High Court committee looking into the case had recommended scrapping of the examination after prima facie finding that some candidates had access to the question paper. 

The committee had said at least two candidates, Sunita and Sushila, had the question paper. The committee had also stated that Registrar (Recruitment) Balwinder Sharma unequivocally denied prior acquaintance with Sunita, the general category topper. The call details furnished by the service provider, on the other hand, revealed that 760 calls and SMSes were exchanged between Sharma and Sunita over the past one year.