Union Minister J P Nadda questioned Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on his calls over the NEET paper leak by asking why he had not raised issues from the 2022 Service Selection Board exams in Jammu and Kashmir. Those tests occurred while Congress partnered with the National Conference in the union territory. J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah responded that the territory was under President’s Rule during the disruptions and noted uncertainty over the outcome of a High Level Committee or its findings. The Jammu and Kashmir High Court had ordered the committee to investigate, but a Division Bench stayed the order and the Union Home Ministry formed a Review Committee focused on the selection of a company for the exams. The report identified problems in the tender process. The High Court later directed implementation of the recommendations, yet this did not occur. The three offline exams covered sub-inspector posts in J&K Police, account assistant roles in Finance, and junior engineer civil posts in Jal Shakti, held between March and August 2022 by a Delhi firm. Over 1.13 lakh candidates applied for 1,200 sub-inspector positions, nearly 2 lakh for 972 account assistant posts, and 20,868 for 163 junior engineer posts. Complaints of irregularities, including uneven selection from one division, led the administration to cancel the exams. Aptech Limited was later chosen through tender for computer-based tests. Petitions in the High Court alleged flaws in the tender and prior issues with the company. In December 2022, Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal ordered a high-level committee led by a retired judge to examine changes in tender conditions. A Division Bench stayed the order the next day. The police and junior engineer exams proceeded with Aptech in late 2022, while account assistant tests occurred in January 2024. In April 2023 the Union Home Ministry directed a Review Committee, formed in late April and headed by Rajkumar Goel with IAS officers Sanjeev Verma and Dr Raghav Langer. The panel examined board processes and tender compliance with financial rules. Sources reported findings of anomalies, including a qualified affidavit from the firm, relaxed eligibility criteria, violations under Section-16, and a lowered turnover threshold from Rs 20 crore to Rs 10 crore without clear basis. In August 2023 Justice Moksha Khajuria Kazmi directed the administration to decide on the report within ten days. The Law Department gave its opinion in September, yet the findings stayed unimplemented. Results for the three exams were released in phases.
