The ED has claimed that arrested former Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission (CGPSC) chairperson Taman Singh Sonwani received ₹45 lakh through an institution controlled by him in return for favouring a businessman’s son and daughter-in-law in the 2021 State service examination.
The money he received was shown as corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding, it said, adding that the total proceeds of crime in this case is quantified so far to the tune of ₹3.28 crore.
The federal agency on Tuesday (September 22, 2026) filed its first prosecution complaint before a special court in Raipur in connection with the alleged irregularities and corruption in the CGPSC examination scam during the previous Congress government in the state.
Seven accused — Mr. Sonwani, Director of Shri Bajrang Power and Ispat Ltd Shravan Goyal, the then CGPSC Deputy Controller Examination) Lalit Ganvir, Utkarsh Chandrakar (nephew of K.K. Chandravanshi, a former personal assistant to the then Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel), his brother-in-law Anil Chandrakar, medical officer Dr. Vikas Chandrakar, and Additional Collector Chetan Borghariya (then posted as Officer on Special Duty in the then CM’s office) — were named as accused in the prosecution complaint.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) claimed that money generated through alleged corrupt examination arrangements was received through Gramin Vikas Samiti (GVS), an institution controlled by Mr. Sonwani, as CSR funding and that money collected from candidates was subsequently used, transferred or projected as legitimate transactions.
Mr. Sonwani, who headed the CGPSC from 2020 to 2023, was arrested by the ED in July in connection with its money laundering investigation into alleged corruption, question paper leaks and manipulation of examinations conducted by the commission in 2020 and 2021 for recruitment to posts, including deputy collector and deputy superintendent of police. Earlier this month, the ED arrested Mr. Borghariya and Utkarsh Chandrakar.
The money laundering probe stems from an FIR registered by the Chhattisgarh Economic Offences Wing (EOW), another FIR lodged by the State police in Balod district and a subsequent complaint filed by the CBI in 2024.
The CBI filed a chargesheet and two supplementary chargesheets in 2025, and Sonwani was also arrested by the CBI in 2024.
According to the ED, the proceeds of crime identified in the case originated through two separate streams.
The first related to alleged manipulation of the CGPSC State Service Examination in which Sonwani, as chairman, had a role in the custody and availability of question papers and the examination process.
Favour shown to son, daughter-in-law of businessman Shravan Kumar Goyal
The ED alleged that in consideration of favour shown to the son and daughter-in-law of businessman Shravan Kumar Goyal, Gramin Vikas Samiti (GVS) received Rs ₹45 lakh from Shri Bajrang Power and Ispat Ltd through its CSR mechanism and projected it as legitimate institutional funding.
The complaint said Mr. Goyal’s son Shashank Goyal and daughter-in-law Bhumika Katiyar were selected at ranks three and four respectively. It also referred to the selection of mR. Sonwani’s nephews Nitesh Sonwani and Sahil Sonwani as deputy collector and deputy superintendent of police, and his nieces-in-law Misha Kosle and Deepa Adil as deputy collector and district excise officer.
The agency also attributed a role to CGPSC Deputy Controller of Examinations Lalit Ganvir, claiming he held the post from December 2020 while simultaneously serving as treasurer of GVS and as a joint authorised signatory of its Bank of Maharashtra account.
The ED claimed the second stream involved collection of money from candidates and their families on the promise that examination papers would be provided in advance and selections secured.
The agency quantified this collection at ₹3.13 crore.
The ED clarified that cash deposits of ₹72.18 lakh in Utkarsh Chandrakar’s bank account represented placement of part of the ₹3.13 crore and were not additional proceeds. It also treated ₹69.85 lakh deposited in Mr. Borghariya’s accounts as proceeds of crime in his possession.
The agency said the investigation suggested that candidates were allegedly offered access to examination papers and selection for payments ranging from ₹50 lakh to ₹60 lakh per candidate.
Vikas Chandrakar allegedly acted as a recruiter and aggregator, approaching candidates and their families and collecting money. Payments carried by him to Anil Chandrakar and Utkarsh Chandrakar, with an approximate figure of ₹3.20 crore, it said.
How the exam paper was leaked
The preliminary CGPSC examination was held on February 13, 2022, while the main examination was conducted from May 26 to 29, 2022. Interviews were held in September and the final result was announced on May 11, 2023.
The agency claimed that Mr. Utkarsh assembled around 30 candidates at Siddhi Vinayak Marriage Palace, a day before the preliminary examination, and distributed copies of the leaked paper.
In his statement, Vikas Chandrakar said Mr. Utkarsh had informed him that he was obtaining the question paper from Mr. Borghariya and that the latter was also securing the selection of his sister through the same means.
The agency said, residential preparation of candidates was subsequently organised at Barnawapara (Balodabazar) from May 8 to 25, 2022 and at Hotel Venkatesh International, Raipur before the mains examinations. After the candidates were not selected, demands for refunds followed.
The agency alleged that when the candidates’ complaints reached the then CM’s residence in March-April 2023, K.K. Chandravanshi telephoned Anil Chandrakar and directed him to settle the matter.
Published – September 23, 2026 06:51 pm IST
