Rajasthan High Court cancels 2021 police recruitment exam; politicians hail decision

Jaipur: The Rajasthan High Court on Thursday cancelled the contentious 2021 police sub-inspector recruitment exam owing to allegations over paper leak and involvement of members of Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC).

Justice Sameer Jain cancelled the exam, which was the bone of contention for both BJP and Congress governments in the state and gave a detailed verdict.

"The Hindi idiom: 'ghar ka bhedi lanka dhaye' (insider does maximum damage), aptly encapsulates the egregious circumstances surrounding the Sub-Inspector Recruitment Examination 2021, wherein the very guardians entrusted with safeguarding the sanctity of the process, namely the members of the RPSC, were instrumental in its vitiation," the order said.

The verdict further called it a "travesty of monumental proportions" in which "six members of the RPSC, tasked with the sacrosanct duty of protecting the interests of the public and masses, chose to betray that trust." Senior advocate Major R P Singh, who represented the petitioners, said the illegality and fraud on the system was so conspicuous and the verdict would hopefully act as a deterrent for the "gangs" playing with the future of youths.

Advocate Harendra Neel, who also represented petitioners, said, "Involvement of five members of RPSC has been found. The court has taken suo motu cognisance on matters related to RPSC. The court has said that the entire recruitment is polluted and if the recruitment is not cancelled then law and order of the state might get affected. It is a courageous and strict decision of the court." Additional Advocate General Vigyan Shah, who represented the state, said, "The SIT report, FIRs registered, has found that the then RPSC members Babulal Katara, Ramu Raika were involved and there were irregularities in the recruitment process." He added, "The court has made sharp comments on the functioning of RPSC and cancelled the recruitment exam. The court after taking suo motu cognisance has ordered to file a PIL before the division bench against the conduct of the RPSC." Shah said the report of the state government's investigation team and its cabinet sub-committee opined if further irregularities in the recruitment exam were found, then the exam could be cancelled.

Cabinet minister Dr Kirodi Lal Meena, who has been advocating for long to cancel the examination, termed the cancellation a "victory of truth." "There was fraud in the entire recruitment. According to my information, there were more than 500 such candidates who had passed this examination through fraudulent means. If such people were inducted in the service, imagine the plight of the law and order situation of the state," he said.

"Supreme," was how BJP state president Madan Rathore termed the high court decision.

The state government is believed to seek legal opinion and decide the future course of action.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajasthan Assembly Tikaram Jully said the high court's decision to cancel the exam was commendable.

"The Congress Party has always worked in the interest of the youth. In the country, the stringent law providing for life imprisonment up to, a fine of 10 crore rupees, and confiscation of the property of the guilty in cases of paper leaks was first enacted in Rajasthan by the previous Congress government," he said.

He said that during the Congress government, irregularities came to light in the Level 2 REET examination, which the government cancelled and promptly organised a re-examination, thereby providing jobs to 50,000 youths.

"The BJP talks differently in public regarding the sub-inspector examination but has been trying in court not to cancel this examination. This has also exposed the dual character of the BJP government," Jully claimed in a post on X.

Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) chief and Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal welcomed the court's decision and termed it a victory of "truth and struggle." Beniwal said his party had been protesting for more than four months at Jaipur's Shaheed Smarak demanding the cancellation of the exam.

"This judgment is a slap on the arrogant BJP government. We stood with the hardworking youth of Rajasthan, and we will continue to raise their voice from the streets to Parliament," he said.

The BJP-led government took a stand not to cancel the exam despite it being a political issue during the 2023 Assembly election.

In 2021, the RPSC advertised 859 posts for sub inspector and platoon commander.

Allegations of a paper leak marred the exam, leading the government to hand over the investigation to the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan Police.

Over 50 trainee sub-inspectors were arrested, apart from others, allegedly for being involved in the paper leak.

A state cabinet sub-committee in its report in the high court recommended not to cancel the exam in 2021.