New Delhi: In a significant development in the Rajasthan Sub-Inspector Recruitment Examination 2021 paper leak case, the Supreme Court of India dismissed a batch of Special Leave Petitions (SLPs) at the threshold without issuing notice. The move upholds the Rajasthan High Court decision cancelling the entire recruitment process.
A Bench of Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma refused to interfere at the admission stage. The High Court had earlier ordered a fresh examination citing large-scale irregularities and paper leak.
The petitions, including Payal Sharma & Ors. vs State of Rajasthan & Ors., were argued by senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi and P. S. Patwalia.
Despite detailed submissions, the Court dismissed the pleas outright.
During the hearing, the Court raised serious concerns about the integrity of the process. It noted that a member of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission was arrested in connection with the paper leak, indicating systemic failure.
The Bench observed that the only acceptable course in such cases is to separate “tainted” and “untainted” candidates. However, given the scale of irregularities, such segregation was found impractical, rendering the entire process unreliable.
Referring to past precedents, the Court noted that even limited instances of malpractice have led to cancellation of entire examinations. It stressed the need to maintain public trust in recruitment systems.
The petitioners argued there was no mass leak and only a small percentage of candidates were affected. They also highlighted that over 800 candidates had already been appointed and served for more than two years.
The Court, found no reason to interfere with the High Court’s findings. It held that the process stood vitiated due to large-scale irregularities.
While dismissing the SLPs, limited liberty was granted to candidates working in Central Government or Public Sector Undertakings. They may approach the High Court through review petitions seeking parity with State Government employees.
With this order, the cancellation of the recruitment stands confirmed and a fresh process will go ahead. The ruling reinforces the Court’s strict stance against examination fraud and compromised selection processes.