The Bangladesh Public Service Commission has served show cause notices on its four officials and employees for their alleged involvement in running coaching centres for recruitment tests amid widespread allegations of question paper leaks.
The accused are PSC secretariat鈥檚 administrative officers Md Shahbuddin and Md Mosharaf Hossain, office assistant Md Monirul Islam and personal officer Md Johirul Islam.
Confirming the news, PSC public relations officer SM Matiur Rahman said on Monday that the notices were issued on July 10 asking all of them to respond in seven working days.
According to the notices, the four PSC employees are found to be involved in coaching businesses which is against the PSC鈥檚 official discipline.
Article 17 of the Government Servant Conduct Rules, 1979, states that no government employee shall engage in any business or accept any other employment other than official duties without the prior approval of the government.
The notice asked the four employees to explain in seven working days on receipt of the letter as to why departmental actions should not be taken against them as per rules for such conduct.
Earlier, the same allegations of being involved in coaching businesses were made against PSC deputy directors Jahangir Alam and Abu Zafar, who are currently in jail for their alleged involvement in leaking questions of different recruitment tests.
The Criminal Investigation Department, meanwhile, arrested 17 people for their alleged involvement in leaking questions of cadre and non-cadre recruitment examinations, including the Bangladesh Civil Services tests.
Six out of the 17 arrested, gave confessional statements in the case and later were sent to jail.
In its preliminary investigation, the CID found the truth of the arrested being involved in leaking question papers for the recruitment test of Bangladesh Railway on July 5.
Headed by its joint secretary Abdul Alim Khan, the PSC formed a three-member probe committee to investigate the question paper leak allegation, and suspended five of its officials accused of being involved in the scandal on Tuesday.
The CID filed a case under the Public Service Commission Act against 17 people arrested by the CID on Monday, 14 fugitives, and 50-60 unnamed persons who were allegedly involved in leaking question papers for these recruitment tests.