High-profile arrests expose entrenched nepotism and multi-crore bribery in CGPSC 2020–22 recruitment cycle
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has widened its probe into the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) recruitment scam, arresting five more individuals — including a retired IAS officer, senior commission officials, and their relatives. The scandal, which has rocked the state’s bureaucracy, is being described as one of the most audacious recruitment frauds in recent Indian history.
Who Has Been Arrested?
The latest arrests include:
Aarti Wasnik, former Controller of Examinations
Jeevanlal Dhruv, retired IAS officer and former Secretary of CGPSC
Sumit Dhruv, his son
Nisha Kosle, daughter-in-law of the then Chairman
Deepa Adil, another daughter-in-law who served as District Excise Officer
They were produced before a special CBI court and remanded to judicial custody.
This follows earlier arrests of former CGPSC Chairman Taman Singh Sonwani, Deputy Controller of Examinations Lalit Ganvir, and several beneficiaries of the scam, including Shashank Goyal, Bhumika Katiyar, and Sahil Sonwani. With these latest developments, the CBI has now arrested more than a dozen individuals linked to the case.
The Modus Operandi: Bribes, Nepotism, and Rigged Exams
The CBI’s FIR paints a picture of a carefully orchestrated conspiracy to manipulate recruitment processes for the 2020–2022 CGPSC examinations, where 170 candidates were selected from over 129,000 applicants.
Key allegations include:
A ₹4.5 million bribe allegedly paid by Shravan Kumar Goyal, former Director of Bajrang Power & Ispat, to secure selection of his son and daughter-in-law as Deputy Collectors.
Exam result tampering and interview rigging in favor of relatives of senior officials.
Bribes reportedly laundered through the Rural Development Committee to conceal transactions.
“Family First” Recruitment: Who Benefited?
Investigators found that numerous family members of the then Chairman and Secretary secured coveted posts through fraudulent means:
Nitesh Sonwani (son) – Deputy Collector
Sahil Sonwani (brother’s son) – DSP
Sunita Joshi (sister’s daughter) – Labour Officer
Nisha Kosle (daughter-in-law) – Deputy Collector
Deepa Adil (brother’s daughter-in-law) – District Excise Officer
Sumit Dhruv (Secretary’s son) – Deputy Collector
From Complaints to CBI Probe
The scandal surfaced after 48 formal complaints were filed with the Governor, Chief Minister, and Chief Secretary during the Congress government’s tenure. Mounting public anger, fueled by protests from students and job aspirants, made the scam a central issue in the 2023 Assembly Elections.
Following a formal complaint by senior BJP leader Nankiram Kanwar, a state-level inquiry was initiated. After the BJP came to power in 2024, Chief Minister Vishnudev Sai transferred the case to the CBI on January 3, 2024.
Political Fallout: BJP Delivers on Its Poll Promise
The BJP had campaigned aggressively on an anti-corruption platform, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and other senior leaders vowing a CBI investigation if voted to power. Soon after assuming office, the BJP government fulfilled this promise, handing over the probe to the central agency.
What Lies Ahead?
With every round of arrests, the CBI is unearthing deeper layers of the scam — pointing not just to corruption but to systematic subversion of meritocracy in one of India’s key state-level recruitment processes.
For thousands of aspirants whose careers were derailed, the investigation represents a long-overdue reckoning. For the political establishment, however, it underscores how recruitment scams can shake public trust in governance and fuel electoral battles.
