Odisha BSE Vice-President Jailed in OTET Paper Leak Scandal
(OT Webdesk)In a major development in the Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) paper leak case, the Crime Branch has arrested Nihar Ranjan Mohanty, Vice-President of the Board of Secondary Education (BSE).
His bail plea was rejected by the Cuttack SDJM court, and he has been remanded to 14-day judicial custody at Choudwar jail.
The scandal erupted when the OTET question paper was leaked on July 19, just a day before the scheduled exam.
Investigations revealed the leak originated from Mohanty’s laptop, which had been improperly accessed by Jiten Maharana, a data entry operator and the prime accused.
The two reportedly communicated over 100 times outside office hours.
Crime Branch DIG Binaytosh Mishra confirmed that Mohanty failed to delete the paper after verification and violated protocol by receiving it via email instead of the secure FTP system.
Further scrutiny revealed nepotism in the question-setting panel, with Mohanty’s daughter-in-law and an academic officer’s wife involved.
This is the second major leak in three years, raising serious concerns about systemic lapses within the BSE.
The Crime Branch continues to investigate financial links and procedural breaches as public trust in the board’s examination system hangs in the balance.
