ED searches ex-APPSC secretary P. Seetharamanjaneyulu in Group-I evaluation case
The ED searched seven premises in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on 4 November 2026, alleging Rs 1.14 crore was paid for an APPSC Group-I answer-script evaluation that was not carried out.
Key points
- The ED's Hyderabad office searched seven premises under the PMLA on 4 November 2026 in the APPSC Group-I Main Examination evaluation case.
- The ED alleges Rs 1,14,32,312 was paid to a private firm in February 2022 for a manual evaluation that was never genuinely done.
- The ED said documents and digital devices were seized and property papers are under verification; these are allegations and the investigation continues.
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) searched the premises of P. Seetharamanjaneyulu, IPS, the then Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC), and six other premises on 4 November 2026 in a money-laundering case linked to the evaluation of the APPSC Group-I Main Examination. The ED alleges that Rs 1,14,32,312 (about Rs 1.14 crore) was paid to a private firm for evaluation work that was not genuinely carried out. The searches covered Hyderabad and Secunderabad in Telangana and Guntur district in Andhra Pradesh.
What Happened
According to the ED's press release of 5 November 2026, its Hyderabad Zonal Office acted under Section 17 of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002. Its case rests on an FIR registered by the Suryaraopet Police Station in Vijayawada, including under Sections 420 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code.
The ED said that after the Andhra Pradesh High Court set aside the digital evaluation of the answer scripts and directed a manual evaluation, the work was given to Camsign Media Pvt. Ltd. between 27 November 2021 and 19 February 2022. The answer scripts were moved out of official premises to a resort in Chinakakani village, Guntur district, for 84 days, the ED said.
The ED alleges that no genuine manual evaluation was done and that the marks from the earlier digital evaluation were instead recorded as manual evaluation marks. It said Rs 1,14,32,312 was released to the firm by a cheque dated 16 February 2022 signed by the then Secretary. The exercise was later discarded, and the scripts were re-evaluated at official premises under CCTV, on which the final results were declared, according to the ED. The agency treats the payment as prima facie proceeds of crime.
The ED said it seized documents and digital devices, recorded statements of the accused, including the then Secretary, and is verifying property documents. It also searched the resort and TruGrader Services, a division of Stone Media Advisory Services Pvt. Ltd., which ran the earlier digital evaluation.
What It Means
A PMLA search is an investigative step, not a finding. These are allegations, not findings of guilt; the accused are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court, and due process continues. The ED said further investigation is under way.
This report describes enforcement actions and allegations on the public record, attributed to the officials cited. An order, FIR or chargesheet is not a conviction; parties are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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Sources & Citations
- Enforcement Directorate press release — Enforcement Directorate