Rajasthan Guv accepts resignation of RPSC member Manju Sharma after court's remarks in SI paper leak case

Jaipur, Sep 15 (IANS) Rajasthan Governor Haribhau Bagde, on Monday, accepted the resignation of Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) member Manju Sharma.

Sharma submitted her resignation two weeks ago following the Rajasthan High Court's scathing remarks in the 2021 Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment paper leak case.

The Raj Bhavan issued an official statement confirming the acceptance on Monday.

The single bench of the High Court, while hearing matters related to the SI recruitment exam, had raised questions about the role of RPSC members.

The court noted that accused Ramuram Raika had allegedly met RPSC's Chairman Sanjay Shrotriya, Acting Chairman Jaswant Rathi, and RPSC members Sangeeta Arya, Manju Sharma and Babulal Katara to secure favorable results for his children.

According to the court, Raika's daughter was even recommended for passing the interview after her photo was shown in advance.

Two days after the court's observation, Manju Sharma tendered her resignation to the Governor.

In her resignation, Sharma wrote: "I have spent my entire professional and personal life working with transparency and honesty. Due to the controversy that arose in a recruitment process, my personal reputation and the dignity of the Commission have been affected. No case or investigation is pending against me, nor have I ever been an accused. Yet, upholding the dignity and transparency of the Commission, I am voluntarily resigning."

Manju Sharma was appointed as an RPSC member during the Congress government's tenure in October 2020.

Her six-year term was to continue until October 14, 2026, but she has stepped down 13 months before completion.

The resignation, accepted amid a series of controversies and ongoing investigations, has further deepened the vacancy crisis in the state's top recruitment body as with this development, six of the 10 member posts in RPSC are now lying vacant, leaving only four members apart from the Chairman.

Another RPSC member, Babulal Katara, was suspended earlier in the 2021 SI recruitment paper leak case, and the proposal for his dismissal is still pending.

--IANS

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