Case file · HPSSC · surfaced 23 Dec 2022

HP JOA-IT leak: commission itself dissolved after vigilance probe

Stalled documented status: Charge sheet filed

Confidence C — based on the press record (archived below). No primary documents on file yet; treat names of agencies, dates and figures as reported, not established.

Himachal Pradesh vigilance caught an HPSSC insider's network selling the JOA (IT) Post Code 965 question paper for about Rs 2.5 lakh in Hamirpur before the 25 December 2022 exam, which was stopped. Departmental and vigilance reports found papers had been leaked and sold selectively for roughly three years. The state suspended the commission's functioning and dissolved HPSSC on 21 February 2023, transferring recruitment to HPPSC — the only case in this register where the leak ended the exam body itself.

Examination: JOA (IT) Post Code 965 Exam 2022
Conducting body: Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission (HPSSC)
Exam date: 25 Dec 2022
Leak date (as documented): 23 Dec 2022
Surfaced: 23 Dec 2022
States: Himachal Pradesh
Candidates affected: not established
Leak vector: Insider (digital)
State govt at the time: Congress
Last reviewed: 11 Jun 2026

Stall clock — no docket movement for

1,206

days (3y 111d) · last movement 2023-02-21

Accountability Gap Index

national average 0.97 / 7 · how this is scored →

4 / 7

✓ FIR within 30 days
✓ Charge sheet within 180 days
✗ Any conviction
✗ Exam cancelled & fully re-held
✗ Fee refund documented
✓ Official permanently removed
✓ Reform gazette-notified

Each milestone scores one point only when the register holds a document for it. The gap is what the missing points describe.

How it surfaced

Who found it

Police tip-off

Vigilance caught a commission insider selling the JOA-IT paper for Rs 2.5 lakh from her residence — with papers for other pending exams also recovered.

The conducting body's first response

Acknowledged it

The government suspended all pending HPSSC exams and in February 2023 dissolved the commission itself — the only case in this register where the conducting body was abolished.

The leak surfaced days after the December 2022 change of government.

The docket

Every legal action on record, in order. Each row cites its document.

23 Dec 2022

FIR registered · State Vigilance & Anti-Corruption Bureau, Hamirpur

Trap and case after the paper was offered for sale before the exam.

per: Himachal government dissolves HPSSC after paper leak case (Hindustan Times, 22 Feb 2023)
24 Dec 2022

Arrest · Vigilance Bureau, HP

A commission staffer and associates held; electronic devices sent to forensics.

per: Himachal government dissolves HPSSC after paper leak case (Hindustan Times, 22 Feb 2023)
24 Dec 2022

Exam cancelled · HPSSC

Exam withheld; commission's functioning suspended pending inquiry.

per: Himachal government dissolves HPSSC after paper leak case (Hindustan Times, 22 Feb 2023)
21 Feb 2023

Charge sheet filed · Vigilance Bureau, HP

First charge sheet filed the day the state dissolved the commission.

per: Himachal government dissolves HPSSC after paper leak case (Hindustan Times, 22 Feb 2023)
21 Feb 2023

Order / direction · Government of Himachal Pradesh

HPSSC dissolved with immediate effect; recruitment transferred to HPPSC.

per: Himachal government dissolves HPSSC after paper leak case (Hindustan Times, 22 Feb 2023)

What candidates got

Outcome	Ordered by	Order date	Detail
Exam cancelled (full)	Government of HP	21 Feb 2023	Pending recruitment moved to HPPSC.

Officials & institutions implicated

Recorded at position level. A personal name appears only in the "Named individuals" table below, behind the naming gate.

Arrested

Senior Assistant (confidential branch), HPSSC · 23 Dec 2022

Caught with the JOA-IT paper and papers of other scheduled exams.
Dissolved

Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission (institution) · 26 Feb 2023

State cabinet dissolved the commission; functions moved to a new selection board.

After the suspension

Suspension is where most coverage ends. This is what the record says happened next — tracking rules →

Senior Assistant (secrecy branch), HPSSC

Dismissed / removed · 21 Feb 2023

Caught selling the JOA-IT paper; the government went further than one dismissal — it dissolved the entire commission.

per: Vigilance arrest Dec 2022; commission dissolved 21.02.2023

⚑ marks an official who returned to, or never left, the ministry whose exam leaked.

The investigation trail

Every SIT, committee and inquiry announced for this case — and whether its report ever became public.

Vigilance & departmental inquiry into HPSSC functioning

Formed 26 Dec 2022 · by Government of Himachal Pradesh · report submitted 20 Feb 2023

Report status: not made public · 1,207 days elapsed

Inquiry found papers had been leaked and sold selectively for three years; the commission was dissolved on 21 February 2023 and replaced.

Structural reform on record

HPSSC dissolved outright (21.02.2023) and replaced by the Himachal Pradesh Rajya Chayan Aayog — the only case in this register where the conducting body itself was abolished.

Gazette-notified · HP Govt notification, 21.02.2023 · 21 Feb 2023

Sources on file

Tier 2 · reported Himachal government dissolves HPSSC after paper leak case — Hindustan Times · 22 Feb 2023 [archived]

Status log

Every status this register has ever assigned to this case. Append-only.

23 Dec 2022	ALLEGED	Allegations surfaced publicly.
23 Dec 2022	ALLEGED → FIR_REGISTERED	Trap and case after the paper was offered for sale before the exam.
24 Dec 2022	FIR_REGISTERED → ARRESTS_MADE	A commission staffer and associates held; electronic devices sent to forensics.
21 Feb 2023	ARRESTS_MADE → CHARGESHEET_FILED	First charge sheet filed the day the state dissolved the commission.

Act on this record

File an RTI on this case pre-filled from the docket · RTI Act 2005 · ₹10 fee

The application below is pre-filled from this case file. Add your name and address, then send it to the Public Information Officer of State Vigilance & Anti-Corruption Bureau, Hamirpur — online via rtionline.gov.in (central bodies) or your state RTI portal.

To: The Public Information Officer,
State Vigilance & Anti-Corruption Bureau, Hamirpur

Subject: Request under the Right to Information Act, 2005 — HP JOA-IT leak: commission itself dissolved after vigilance probe

Under the Right to Information Act 2005, I request the following information:

1. Current status of FIR No. [number] dated 23 Dec 2022 concerning the question paper leak in JOA (IT) Post Code 965 Exam 2022.
2. Whether a charge sheet has been filed in this matter; if yes, its date and the court where it was filed.
3. Names and current postings of all officials suspended in connection with this matter.
4. Whether any suspended official has been reinstated; if yes, the order reference and date.
5. Date and outcome of the last court hearing in this matter.

I am enclosing the application fee of Rs. 10 as required. If this application falls outside your office's purview, kindly transfer it under Section 6(3) of the Act and inform me.

Regards,
[Applicant name]
[Address]
[Date]

Embed this case live widget · updates on every rebuild

One line for a story or blog post — shows the current status, the stall clock and the score:

<iframe src="https://preview-paperleak-920336e9.viktor.space/embed/case/hpssc-joa-it-2022/"
        width="400" height="200" frameborder="0" title="HP JOA-IT leak: commission itself dissolved after vigilance probe — Parcha"></iframe>

preview →

Or share the record itself: make this exam's 1080×1080 card →

Dispute this record: every fact above cites its document. If you are named or affected and believe something is wrong, see the correction & dispute policy. Corrections are appended, never silently edited.