CBI books IRS officer for faking documents in UPSC

Patna: The CBI has booked a 2008 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer for qualifying the UPSC examination in 2007 by allegedly forging documents and educational certificates to acquire a fake name.
Rajesh Kumar took up the name Navneet Kumar and reduced his age in order to be eligible for the exam as he had become over-age. Navneetalias Rajesh hails from Garbhua under Chanpatia police station area in West Champaran and is posted as deputy commissioner of CGST and central excise (east zone) in Kolkata.It is alleged that Rajesh appeared in the UPSC exam and cleared it in the name of Navneet Kumar as he had crossed the upper age limit.
According to the FIR lodged by the anti-corruption branch (ACB) of the CBI at Patna on Thursday, Navneet got selected for the IRS in the 2007 examination. He is the son of one Jay Narayan Sharma. According to the FIR, Navneet passed Class X examination in 1996, but cleared Intermediate examination in 2003 from the Bihar School Examination Board (BSEB). Navneet later completed BA (Hons) from Muzaffarpur-based BR Ambedkar Bihar University in 2008 with the date of birth as on June 15, 1980. After his selection for IRS, he had submitted a provisional certificate dated December 17, 2008. As per the certificate, he had appeared in the BA examination in December 2007.
The CBI alleged that Rajesh had passed the CBSE Class X exam in 1991 and Class XII exam in 1993 from Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya at Bettiah in West Champaran. When Rajesh got over-aged for the UPSC exam, he changed his identity and obtained certificates in the name of Navneet Kumar while keeping the father’s name and address the same, the CBI alleged.
During the verification of certificates issued by the deputy electoral officer, Bettiah, the villagers alleged that Navneet was an adopted identity of Rajesh, CBI sources said.
Navneet was yet to submit his date of birth and Intermediate examination certificates to the department. The FIR also accused the BSEB of not cooperating in providing details of Navneet.
The matter had come to the CBI through a letter from then superintendent of directorate general of vigilance (east zone) of indirect taxes and customs to the ACB at Kolkata on October 17, 2017. Kolkata ACB forwarded it to their Patna counterparts as the crime had allegedly taken place under their jurisdiction.