Rajasthan: SI Recruitment 2021 paper leak case hearing remains incomplete

Jaipur, July 8 (IANS) The hearing in the Sub Inspector (SI) Recruitment-2021 paper leak case remained incomplete in the Rajasthan High Court on Tuesday.

During the proceedings, senior advocate R.N. Mathur, representing the selected candidates, argued that the case is straightforward. He stated that since the decision not to cancel the recruitment was taken at the Chief Minister’s level and has not been challenged in the petition, the petition should be dismissed outright.

However, Justice Sameer Jain disagreed, remarking, “This is not a simple matter.” He noted that the case involves serious allegations of collusion between coaching institutes, examination centres, and members of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC).

The court clarified that it is examining both the maintainability and the merits of the petition. Representing the state government, Advocate General Rajendra Prasad argued that there were no large-scale irregularities in the recruitment process. He said the government has taken appropriate action by initiating investigations and removing those selected candidates found involved in the irregularities.

“The government’s decision has been made after considering all aspects,” he added. The state also contended that the petitioners had concealed facts and that the recruitment process did not suffer from any institutional failure.

Officials questioned how the petitioners obtained government documents without filing any RTI application, implying potential impropriety. The court has scheduled the continuation of the hearing for Wednesday, when the government will resume its arguments. This will be followed by submissions from the selected candidates, and then RPSC announced recruitment for 859 posts of Sub Inspector and Platoon Commander in 2021.

Allegations of a paper leak surfaced during the recruitment exam, prompting the government to hand over the investigation to the Special Operations Group (SOG). The SOG arrested several individuals, including trainee SIs, leading to a series of petitions in the High Court seeking cancellation of the recruitment.

The High Court, under Justice Sameer Jain, issued status quo orders on the recruitment process on November 18, January 6, and January 9. Following the court's directions, the Police Headquarters issued an order on January 10, 2025, halting field training for selected candidates. This ban remains in effect.

--IANS

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