Overview
- The Special Investigation Team, which submitted its report on August 10, 2026, found the 2021 digital evaluation was adopted without required approvals and that marks were processed through private emails and Google Drive without audit trails.
- The Andhra Pradesh High Court had ordered manual rechecks after candidates challenged the digital method, but the SIT found one manual exercise at the Haailand resort kept scripts for 84 days and largely repeated earlier digital marks.
- Forensic analyses across multiple CFSL labs uncovered widespread overwriting, use of correction fluid, handwriting links to chief examiners and large mark discrepancies between evaluator sheets and the final database.
- The SIT documented use of unauthorised persons and private vendors for evaluation, payments made without competitive tender, and evidence that many approved subject experts were sidelined or not used.
- A criminal case registered in April 2025 has produced arrests and processing of suspects, but seven forensic reports remain pending and the SIT has recommended extended legal and investigative action that could affect shortlisted candidates and lead to prosecutions.