Ranchi: A day before his scheduled questioning over alleged irregularities in the 14th Combined Civil Services preliminary examination, former Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) chairperson L Khiangte on Monday said he had resigned voluntarily to allow investigators to conduct a free and fair probe.“Had I continued to hold charge, questions could have been raised about attempts to tamper with evidence. Therefore, I voluntarily decided to relinquish the post immediately,” Khiangte told reporters in his first public statement since stepping down.A joint team of the CID and Ranchi police raided the JPSC office last week and seized documents related to the preliminary examination. The development prompted the commission to postpone the Mains, which was scheduled to begin on July 25. Around 10 people have been arrested so far.Khiangte, who is also under the probe’s ambit, said he favoured an impartial investigation. “In fact, all examinations facing allegations should be thoroughly investigated,” he added.The former chief secretary was appointed JPSC chairperson in Feb last year after his retirement. Governor Santosh Gangwar accepted his resignation on July 21.Khiangte said he had assumed charge with several plans to streamline the commission’s examination process.Responding to allegations that the preliminary examination results were published without signatures, Khiangte said the JPSC’s 2002 Rules of Procedure envisaged a role for the commission’s members only during scrutiny of the final merit list.On allegations of tampering with OMR sheets and the selection of an agency facing previous complaints, Khiangte said only the agency that conducted the examination could respond to those questions.(Inputs from Sanjay Sahay)