Jailed RPSC paper-leak accused Katara’s tenure ends
Jaipur: The term of Babulal Katara, a suspended member of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC), has ended while he remained in jail in connection with a recruitment paper-leak scandal.
Although the state government referred the matter to the President of India and sought his removal from office, no decision was taken before his tenure expired.
As Katara’s term ended on Wednesday, the number of vacant positions among RPSC members rose to four.
The Special Operations Group (SOG) arrested Katara, the commission’s dismissed driver Gopal Singh, and Vijay Katara on April 18, 2023, in connection with the Senior Teacher Recruitment Examination 2022 paper-leak case.
In January 2024, then-Governor Kalraj Mishra suspended Katara. Investigators subsequently linked him to the Police Sub-Inspector Recruitment Examination 2021 paper-leak case as well.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) also collected information about his assets. Under the constitutional framework governing the RPSC, a chairperson or member can be removed by the President on specified grounds and through prescribed procedures. These include certain forms of disqualification, insolvency, and physical or mental incapacity.In cases involv ing alleged misbehaviour, the Constitution provides for an inquiry by the Supreme Court under Article 317. The state government had sent a reference to the President seeking Katara’s removal. However, the proceedings were not completed before his term expired, and no dismissal order was issued. The RPSC has been functioning without a permanent chairperson since June. Lieutenant Colonel Kesari Singh, a commission member, is currently holding the additional charge.
Other members include Professor Ayub Khan, Hemant Priyadarshi, Professor Deepak Sharma, Professor Sushil Bissu, and Professor Santosh Anand.
Katara’s departure at the end of his tenure adds to the vacancies in the commission, raising questions about its administrative capacity and the progress of pending recruitment-related matters.