The Rajasthan High Court posted the matter for further hearing on February 10.
| Photo Credit: ROHIT JAIN PARAS
The Sub-Inspector recruitment examination of 2021, mired in the allegations of paper leak and irregularities, will not be cancelled in haste, the Bharatiya Janata Party government stated in the Rajasthan High Court here on Thursday. The investigation into the alleged paper leak is in progress, Additional Advocate General Vigyan Shah said.
The State government submitted its reply to the High Court, which had on November 18, 2024, passed an injunction order for maintaining status quo on the recruitment process. The court’s order has paused any further action following the examination, including the training, passing-out parade and the subsequent field posting of the trainee Sub-Inspectors.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Sameer Jain reiterated its status quo order on Thursday, while stating that any further action for appointment of Sub-Inspectors would be treated as contempt of the court. The court posted the matter for further hearing on February 10 and asked the State government to produce the minutes of meetings of a Ministerial Committee appointed to consider the demand for the exam’s cancellation.
80 arrested so far
Controversy surrounds the recruitment exam held in September 2021 to fill 859 vacancies of Sub-Inspectors and platoon commanders. Multiple FIRs have been registered in the matter and about 80 people, including 50 trainees and two members of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC), have been arrested so far.
Mr. Shah, representing the State government before the Bench, said the individuals involved in the paper leak had been apprehended and about 40 trainee Sub-Inspectors, who acted as dummy candidates and engaged in malpractice, had been suspended. “The government cannot take a decision such as cancellation of the recruitment process at present,” he said.
The court clarified that the status quo had to be maintained on the entire recruitment and training-posting process. The judge also appointed senior advocate R.D. Rastogi as the amicus curiae to assist the court in resolving the issues related to the case.
The matter was brought to the High Court through a writ petition filed by Kailash Chandra Sharma and 24 others, who contended that deserving candidates were not selected because of the paper leak on the first day of the exam. Some of the petitioners scored 300 to 310 marks out of 400, while the last selected candidate in the merit list had scored 326 marks.
The petitioners said that incompetent candidates were recruited through the exam which was compromised. With the examination’s integrity being questioned, the State police headquarters as well as the Advocate General had recommended its cancellation.
According to the State government’s reply, the decision on cancelling the exam could not be taken until the investigation was under way. While the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan police is conducting the probe, the six-member Ministerial Committee headed by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Jogaram Patel was appointed on October 1, 2024, amid the growing public outrage.
The Opposition Congress has criticised the BJP government’s stand in the matter, saying the youths and public were suffering because of the confusion and uncertainty prevailing in the ruling party. Pradesh Congress Committee president Govind Singh Dotasra said there were indications of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh’s interest in the recruitments as well as “questionable settlements” in the corridors of power.
Published – January 10, 2025 01:17 am IST
