OTET paper leak case: Orissa High Court grants conditional bail to 8 accused

The Orissa High Court on Thursday granted conditional bail to eight accused in connection with the alleged irregularities in the Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) question paper leak case.

Among those granted bail are former vice-president of the Board of Secondary Education (BSE) Odisha, Nihar Ranjan Mohanty, and data entry operator Jitan Maharana. Several other accused, including Ramji Prasad Gupta, Bijaya Kumar Mishra, Jayanta Kumar Rout, Ajay Kumar Sahu, Prasant Kumar Khamari, and Sanatan Bishoi, have also been released on bail following the court’s order.

Strict Conditions On Accused

While granting bail, the Orissa High Court imposed strict conditions on the accused. The court directed them to cooperate with the ongoing investigation and barred them from leaving the country without prior permission. The conditions have been put in place to ensure that the accused remain available for further questioning and legal proceedings as the probe continues.

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The case pertains to the alleged leak of the Special OTET question paper ahead of the examination, which triggered widespread controversy across the state. Investigators had earlier found that the question paper was allegedly accessed from a laptop linked to the BSE office.

Laptop Linked To BSE Office

According to the probe, data entry operator Jitan Maharana allegedly copied the question paper onto a pen drive and shared it with other individuals involved in the network.

The leaked paper was reportedly circulated to several contacts and later distributed in multiple districts. Authorities also suspect that money was exchanged through digital transactions for access to the question paper.

Following the leak, the state government had ordered a detailed probe, and several individuals were arrested in connection with the case. The incident had also forced the authorities to postpone the examination, affecting thousands of candidates who were preparing to qualify for teaching positions.

The investigation into the OTET paper leak case is still ongoing, and officials say further legal action may follow depending on the findings of the probe.