Beverage corp chief arrested in 2021 SI exam paper leak case

Jaipur: The Special Operations Group (SOG) Tuesday arrested Lokendra Pandya, a 58-year-old depot manager for the Rajasthan State Beverages Corporation Ltd (RSBCL), in connection with the infamous paper leak case of the Sub-Inspector (SI) Recruitment Examination-2021. The arrest occurred at Lokendra’s residence in Varda village, located in Dungarpur district.

SOG officials said that Lokendra was accused of facilitating the use of leaked question papers by his family members, including his son, daughter and niece, who were previously arrested on July 10, 2025, in the same case.

Following the arrest, Lokendra was presented before a court, where the SOG secured a two-day remand for further questioning to unravel the full extent of the operation.

According to Additional Director General (ADG) of SOG Vishal Bansal, Lokendra’s brother, Kundan Kumar Pandya, is believed to be at the centre of the scandal. “Kundan purchased the examination papers from former Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) member Babulal Katara for a sum of Rs 50 lakh. He then passed the leaked materials to Lokendra, who provided them to his family members in preparation for the exam,” said Bansal.

Lokendra transported his children and niece to Jaipur in his own vehicle on the day of the examination. The trio, who applied for SI positions, allegedly secured substantially high scores in the written part of the assessment. Although all three candidates passed the written examination, they ultimately failed the physical efficiency test.

The SOG investigation revealed that Kundan established a rapport with Katara while providing him with herbal medicines intended for asthma treatment. “During a Sept 2021 visit to Katara’s home, Kundan exchanged cash concealed in an envelope for the leaked examination papers corresponding to the examination dates of Sept 13, 14 and 15, 2021,” a SOG official said.

As the investigation continues, SOG has so far arrested a total of 142 individuals tied to the paper leak scandal. Following the severity of these developments, the SI Recruitment Examination-2021 has been officially cancelled, with a re-examination scheduled for Sept 20 this year.