Jaipur, July 7 (IANS) The Rajasthan High Court has begun the final hearing in the Sub-Inspector (SI) Recruitment-2021 case and shall continue on June 8.

On Monday, arguments from the government’s side remained incomplete in the court of Justice Sameer Jain, and the hearing is now set to continue on Tuesday. During the proceedings, the court questioned the delay in decision-making by the Chief Minister. It asked why, despite receiving the first recommendation from the Cabinet Sub-Committee on December 10, 2024, no decision was taken by the Chief Minister.

Responding on behalf of the government, Advocate General Rajendra Prasad and Additional Advocate General Vigyan Shah explained that the initial recommendation was based on a preliminary SOG report. This report merely hinted at the possibility of wider involvement in the paper leak. In light of this, the Chief Minister had ordered a more detailed investigation before arriving at any conclusion.

The government further stated that the petitioners have selectively cited earlier reports, including the Cabinet Sub-Committee’s initial recommendation to cancel the recruitment. However, they have not challenged the latest report from the same committee, which now recommends continuing the recruitment process.

Hence, the petition, according to the government, lacks substance and should be dismissed. In addition, the government accused the petitioners of hiding facts from the court. It was argued that the petitioners had previously filed a similar petition in 2022 following the paper leak, but later withdrew it. After that, they participated in the recruitment process. When they failed to make it to the merit list, they approached the court again, this time without disclosing the details of the earlier petition. This, the government claimed, raises questions about the intent behind the current litigation.

The Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) had announced recruitment for 859 posts of Sub-Inspector and Platoon Commander in 2021.

Following the examination, allegations of a paper leak surfaced, prompting the state government to hand over the investigation to the Special Operations Group (SOG), which later arrested several individuals, including trainee SIs.

Several petitions were subsequently filed in the High Court demanding the cancellation of the recruitment. Justice Sameer Jain’s bench had earlier issued status quo orders on the recruitment process on November 18, January 6, and January 9.

Following the court’s direction, the Police Headquarters issued an order on January 10, 2025, completely banning field training for the selected candidates. This ban remains in effect to date.

The outcome of this case is expected to have significant implications for both the recruitment process and the larger question of accountability in public examinations.

–IANS

arc/dan