CHENNAI: The Madras High Court has reserved orders on a writ petition seeking CBI probe into the leak of question papers of the police constables recruitment examination, after the Government said 91 persons, including 40 police personnel, were involved.

Answering a query from a Division Bench as to why the Government had not lodged a complaint, Additional Advocate-General A.L. Somayaji said a full-fledged investigation was on and a decision would be taken based on its outcome.

The Government would not hesitate to proceed against the guilty if a case was made out.

The matter relates to a writ petition filed by A. Thandapani of Vellore district alleging attempts to cover up the scam as senior officials were involved. He said more than 1.3 lakh candidates had been left in the lurch.

When the case came up before the Division Bench comprising Justice Prafulla Kumar Misra and Justice N. Kannadasan, another candidate sought to implead himself as a party and sought to challenge the Government decision to cancel the examination.

The Bench rejected the plea stating that the matter before it was whether or not to order CBI probe.

The candidate could file a writ petition before some other court.

"Theft in IG office"

When Advocate-General N.R. Chandran said there was a theft in the office of the Inspector-General on March 27, the Bench asked why no complaint was registered then.

Mr. Chandran submitted that even some candidates were involved in the crime.

Mr. Somayaji, denying that there was any mystery in the death of Jeevarathinam, an orderly attached to the Director-General of Police for over 22 years, said he had died while attempting to cross the railway track. The train driver and the guard had deposed that it was an accident.

He argued that the petitioner had approached the court based on newspaper reports.

Mere hearsay and newspaper reports could not be a basis for writ proceedings as they were not admissible as evidence, he added.

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