Stories
Retired IAS Yogesh Kumar Arrested in 2014 Livestock Recruitment Scam
- •Retired 1980-batch IAS officer Yogesh Kumar has been arrested by the Uttar Pradesh EOW in connection with the 2014 Livestock Extension Officer recruitment scam.
- •Kumar was serving as the Principal Secretary in the Animal Husbandry Department when the recruitment for 1,198 posts was conducted.
- •The investigation revealed serious irregularities, including bypassing selection committees and tampering with OMR answer sheets.
- •The SIT submitted its final investigation report in 2021, recommending action against those responsible for violating recruitment rules.
- •The name of former Animal Husbandry Minister Rajkishore Singh has also surfaced in connection with the decade-old scam.
Key Questions Answered
Retired IAS officer Yogesh Kumar was arrested by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) of the Uttar Pradesh Police due to alleged irregularities and failure to follow prescribed rules during the 2014 Livestock Extension Officer recruitment process. Investigators found evidence that OMR answer sheets were tampered with while he served as the Principal Secretary in the Animal Husbandry Department.
Investigators found that the evaluation of candidates' OMR sheets was improperly centralized in a single location instead of adhering to the prescribed institutional framework. This violation of recruitment rules and bypassing of designated selection committees created opportunities for manipulating candidates' marks.
The recruitment exam took place on February 2, 2014. Following allegations of irregularities, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted its interim report in 2018 and its final report in 2021 before the EOW ultimately arrested Yogesh Kumar.
