Woman victim of 1983 railway job scam still waits for justice

On April 28,1983,The Indian Express had unearthed a multi-crore job scam involving top officials of the recruitment body then known as the Railway Service Commission (RSC). The report revealed how answersheets of outstanding candidates were allegedly attached to forms of candidates who had failed. The then chairman of RSC was named along with other senior officials in the scam but all of them were acquitted by a CBI court in 2001.

Delphina M Gonsalves (now Delphina James Pereira after her marriage),was among the candidates who wrote the railway exam in 1981. She recalls she missed a chance to work with the railways after authorities failed to comply with court orders in the case.

According to sources,Delphina worked in the reservation department of Western Railway on a temporary basis between April 1,1981 and October 9,1981. She appeared for a written test conducted by the RSC,Mumbai,on June 21,1981.

Delphina says,“Since the result was not declared even after a year,I wrote to the chairman of the railway recruitment office but did not get any response. In a notification dated September 8,1982,that appeared in English and other language dailies in Mumbai,it was stated that my application form was missing and I was called by the RSC office,Churchgate. I met Railway Vigilance Officer U Vidhyarthi on September 10,1982,who recorded my statement. Thereafter in January 1983 I learnt that the Railways had already recruited 160 candidates in the clerical cadre from among those who had appeared with me for the examination. I enquired with the RSC officials in vain.”

According to railway sources,as soon as the irregularities became known,the railway board scrapped the entire panel of candidates selected through the commission in the last week of February 1983. The Indian Express report was debated in Parliament and elected representatives had sought jobs for those who were the victims.

“I sent a letter to the then Railway Minister requesting him to look into the matter and give me a posting. I also wrote to several dignitaries,” says Delphina. On April 14,1984,she filed a petition in the Bombay High Court.

“The verdict was in my favour. The High Court,by order dated February 18 1985,asked the RSC to call me for an interview within four weeks giving me 10 days intimation in writing but the order was never implemented.”

She says 2001 was the last year when CBI called her for an inquiry. “But I did not get any call from RRB,Mumbai.” When this newspaper inquired about the status of the case,a senior CBI official said a chargesheet was filed in 1987 but the case ended in acquittal of all the accused in 2001.