HC junks revision plea in 2001 police recruitment scam

Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court has dismissed a criminal revision petition filed by former police ADG Rakesh Mittal, who sought to summon other senior officials as additional accused in the 2001 sub-inspector recruitment scam.In an order dated May 6, 2026, Justice Pankaj Purohit upheld Dehradun Special CBI Court’s ruling, observing that there was insufficient evidence at this stage to implicate further individuals.The case stems from the recruitment of 253 SIs in Dec 2001. While IIT Roorkee was tasked with preparing question papers, the process came under scrutiny following writ petitions alleging discrepancies in candidate marks. Mittal, who chaired the tabulation committee, was subsequently charge-sheeted by CBI for forgery and criminal conspiracy under the IPC and the Prevention of Corruption Act.In his plea, Mittal alleged that senior officials AB Lal and GC Pant conspired against him by tampering with OMR sheets and data at IIT Roorkee. He claimed the plot was intended to remove him from the seniority list to facilitate AB Lal’s promotion to DGP.CBI opposed the plea, citing “scientific investigation” and FSL reports that proved data was only copied after the records were in Mittal’s possession. The prosecution clarified that the presence of other officers at IIT Roorkee was officially authorised to assist with reservation policies.Justice Purohit noted that the power to summon additional accused under CrPC Section 319 is an “extraordinary and discretionary” measure requiring a high degree of satisfaction. Labeling Mittal’s claims as “bald allegations without factual basis,” the court found no illegality in the lower court’s order. Proceedings against the existing accused will now continue before the special CBI court.