JAIPUR: The Rajasthan High Court has formally invalidated the results of the 2021 Rajasthan Police Sub-Inspector recruitment exam. This is a big blow to those who passed the test because it was found that the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) was directly involved in the paper leak. On Thursday, the court said that the state government must hold a new recruiting exam.
The Special Operations Group (SOG) has detained 122 people so far in connection with the case, and the verdict comes after a thorough investigation. The court directly criticized two high-ranking RPSC officials, then-chairperson Babu Lal Katara and member Ramu Raika, for their part in the scam. ADG SOG V. K. Singh said that Katara sent out copies of the test paper days before the examination, and Raika used the leaked material to help his own son and daughter get ready for the test.
The court used the saying “a traitor from within destroyed Lanka” to strongly criticize those who were supposed to protect the integrity of the exam process but instead betrayed it. It also took suo motu notice of bigger problems with how the RPSC works.
The court’s directives include a clear instruction for the new test:
A fresh hiring test needs to be held in place of the one that was canceled.
Everyone who took the 2021 exam will be able to take the new one, even if they are older than the age limit.
Advocates for the petitioners who had been battling the issue for a long time have called the ruling a win for justice. But it has also made the future unclear for the 824 candidates who had previously passed the test and were getting ready for training. These applicants have been put on hold, and those who quit their positions have been told to go back to their parent companies until they get a notice about the re-examination.
The lawyers for the petitioners called the result a victory for truth after a lengthy fight. However, the lawyers for the winning candidates have said they will appeal the decision to a double bench. They say that their qualified clients shouldn’t have to pay for the commission’s mistakes.
The SOG’s probe is still going on. So far, 122 persons have been arrested, including 54 trainee sub-inspectors, six chosen sub-inspectors, and 27 government workers. Charges have been brought against 118 of the accused, and investigations are still going on against 88 more people who are suspected of being involved or who have run away. The investigation shows a long-standing web of corruption, and many of the trainees and workers implicated have already been fired or suspended.