What’s the latest on the Rajasthan SI recruitment paper leak case?

Jaipur, July 9 (NationPress) The proceedings regarding the Sub Inspector (SI) Recruitment-2021 paper leak case remained unresolved in the Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday as well.

A single judge bench led by Justice Sameer Jain instructed the state government to provide the complete note sheet associated with the case and postponed the hearing until 2 PM on Thursday.

The arguments from the petitioners are set to be heard on Thursday. The court expressed significant dissatisfaction over the government's conduct and inquired why the entire note sheet had not been presented. The bench made it clear that the government’s position has already been considered, and the petitioners should now be afforded a full opportunity to articulate their case.

Due to time limitations, the petitioners' arguments were not concluded on Wednesday. It is anticipated that the court will hear full arguments from both parties on Thursday, with a possibility of a final ruling or a reserved judgment following the hearing.

During earlier sessions, Justice Jain emphasized the extraordinary nature of this case, pointing out the serious allegations of collusion involving coaching institutions, examination centers, and members of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC). The court noted it would scrutinize both the validity and substantive aspects of the petition.

On Tuesday, Advocate General Rajendra Prasad and Additional Advocate General Vigyan Shah, representing the state, contended that no widespread irregularities were found in the recruitment process. They mentioned that the few instances of misconduct are currently under investigation, with the implicated candidates being dismissed from service.

The government also asserted that the petitioners had withheld facts and obtained confidential documents without an RTI request, raising questions about their motives. The Advocate General further argued that there was no institutional failure and a well-considered decision was made not to annul the recruitment process. However, the petitioners argue that multiple bodies, including the SOG, Police Headquarters, Advocate General, and Cabinet Sub-Committee, had recommended the annulment of the recruitment. Nonetheless, the state later altered its position, prompting the court to question this reversal.

Senior advocate R.N. Mathur, representing selected candidates, argued that canceling the recruitment would be unfair to those who passed the exam legitimately. He mentioned that the decision not to cancel the recruitment originated at the Chief Minister’s level, and this specific decision was not contested in the petition.

Nevertheless, the court deemed the issue serious enough to warrant a thorough hearing from all involved parties. The SI Recruitment-2021 examination, conducted in September 2021, aimed to fill 859 positions of Sub Inspector and Platoon Commander. Following the exams, grave allegations of paper leaks and fraud surfaced.

An inquiry by the Special Operations Group (SOG) resulted in over 100 arrests, including more than 50 trainee sub-inspectors. Among those detained were former RPSC members Ramuram Raika and Babulal Katara. Investigations revealed that Raika had shared all three sets of exam questions with his children ahead of time.