Rajasthan: Hearing remains incomplete in SI recruitment paper leak case

Jaipur, July 9 (IANS) The hearing in the Sub Inspector (SI) Recruitment-2021 paper leak case remained incomplete in the Rajasthan High Court on Wednesday as well.

A single bench of Justice Sameer Jain directed the state government to submit the entire note sheet related to the case and adjourned the hearing until 2 PM on Thursday.

The petitioners' arguments will be heard on Thursday. The court expressed strong displeasure over the government's approach and questioned why the complete note sheet had not been submitted. The bench clearly stated that the government's side has already been heard, and now the petitioners must be given a full opportunity to present their case.

Due to time constraints, the petitioners' arguments could not be completed on Wednesday. The court is expected to hear the full arguments from both sides on Thursday. There is a possibility that the court may deliver its final decision or reserve the judgment after the hearing concludes.

Earlier, during the proceedings, Justice Jain remarked that this is not an ordinary case, highlighting the serious allegations of collusion between coaching centres, examination centres, and members of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC). The court stated that it would examine both the maintainability and the merits of the petition.

On Tuesday, Advocate General Rajendra Prasad and Additional Advocate General Vigyan Shah, appearing on behalf of the state government, argued that there were no large-scale irregularities in the recruitment process. They stated that the few cases of misconduct are under investigation, and the guilty candidates are being removed from service.

The government also claimed that the petitioners had concealed facts and obtained confidential documents without filing an RTI, raising suspicions about their intent. The Advocate General further argued that there was no institutional failure, and a well-considered decision was taken not to cancel the recruitment. The petitioners contend that multiple authorities, including the SOG, Police Headquarters, Advocate General, and Cabinet Sub-Committee, had recommended cancelling the recruitment. Despite this, the state government later reversed its stance, prompting the court to question the change.

Senior advocate R.N. Mathur, appearing on behalf of selected candidates, argued that cancelling the recruitment would be unjust to candidates who cleared the exam fairly. He stated that the decision not to cancel the recruitment was made at the Chief Minister’s level, and this specific decision had not been challenged in the petition.

Nevertheless, the court deemed the matter serious enough to warrant a comprehensive hearing from all parties. The SI Recruitment-2021 examination was held in September 2021 to fill 859 posts of Sub Inspector and Platoon Commander. Soon after the exams, serious allegations of paper leak and fraud emerged.

An investigation by the Special Operations Group (SOG) led to the arrest of over 100 individuals, including more than 50 trainee sub-inspectors. Among those arrested were former RPSC members Ramuram Raika and Babulal Katara. Investigations revealed that Raika had provided all three sets of question papers in advance to his children.

--IANS

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