{
  "id": 1840364,
  "title": "Meet testing firm under fire: Locked Lucknow office, ‘nepotism’ in Uttar Pradesh",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/meet-testing-firm-under-fire-locked-lucknow-office-nepotism-in-uttar-1840364",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-19T00:51:39.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express - India",
    "slug": "the-indian-express-india",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/india/meet-testing-firm-under-fire-locked-lucknow-office-nepotism-in-uttar-pradesh-10839317/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "TDPL, a testing firm, is under scrutiny following the cancellation of Jharkhand's Combined Graduate Level exams by the state selection commission. Allegations of irregularities and \"nepotism\" extend to their Lucknow office in Uttar Pradesh. In 2021-22, TDPL was responsible for conducting exams for 186 administrative positions in UP Legislative Assembly and Council secretariats. An investigation by The Indian Express revealed that a fifth of these positions were awarded to relatives of VVIPs and officials, including TDPL directors Ram Beer Singh and Satya Pal Singh. Ram Beer and key TDPL employees were arrested in November 2024 by Jharkhand Police's CID for alleged irregularities in government recruitment exams. The company's whereabouts remain unknown. The Allahabad High Court described TDPL's irregularities as \"shocking\" and called for a CBI probe. However, the probe was later quashed by the Supreme Court, but the matter is still pending before the High Court. TDPL's Lucknow office was found sealed, with five Jharkhand Police personnel visiting the site in search of documents. The company's owners, Ram Beer and Satya Pal, are also directors of four other firms and are currently on bail in a separate recruitment case.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Indian Express",
        "title": "Meet testing firm under fire: Locked Lucknow office, ‘nepotism’ in Uttar Pradesh",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/19/meet-testing-firm-under-fire-locked-lucknow-office-nepotism-in-uttar",
        "published": "2026-08-19T00:51:39.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}