Who is Pradeep Kumar Joshi, who can't seem to get away from paper leaks?

The Congress on Monday, attacked National Testing Agency (NTA) chairperson P.K. Joshi, saying he has been holding interviews for appointment of VCs (vice-chancellors) and directors of premier educational institutes across the country, despite being a "prime suspect" in the ongoing paper-leak controversy.

Joshi's career trajectory, from a professor at Rani Durgawati College in Jabalpur to key administrative positions, has long raised eyebrows.

An RTI (right to information) inquiry revealed that his appointment to the Madhya Pradesh Public Service Commission (MPSC) in 2006 under the Shivraj Singh government was allegedly based on the recommendation of an RSS leader. Subsequently, Joshi assumed the chairmanship of the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission.

Despite the lack of any notable academic achievements or administrative experience, Joshi held influential roles, including during the peak of the Vyapam scam in Madhya Pradesh, alleged RTI activist Ajay Dubey.

His tenure coincided with a period of controversy, marked by suspicious deaths of witnesses in the Vyapam investigation and allegations of corruption.

More than 40 individuals linked to the Vyapam case reportedly died of mysetrious reasons during the investigation, with opposition parties and activists alleging that several of these deaths happened under suspicious circumstances.

In 2015, a special task force (STF) submitted a list to Jabalpur High Court, naming 23 people who are believed to have suffered an "unnatural death".

In a surprising turn of events, Joshi was appointed as the chairman of the UPSC, despite criticisms of incompetence. However, his tenure was short-lived as he faced accusations in the Ayurveda Medical Officers (AMO) paper leak case. Joshi has also been part of numerous government committees.

Critics argue that Joshi's repeated appointments highlight systemic flaws and allege favoritism within the RSS-backed government. They accuse him of manipulating the system to ensure the selection of undeserving candidates, undermining meritocracy.

These appointments, coupled with allegations of corruption, underscore concerns about the politicisation of public office and the erosion of merit-based recruitment processes. Critics warn of a dangerous trend of appointing individuals with questionable integrity to advance partisan agendas within Constitutional institutions.