Jharkhand High Court Puts CBI Probe on Hold in Dhanbad Institute of Technology Exam Case

Ranchi- The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday stayed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into the controversy involving students of Dhanbad Institute of Technology (DIT), who were allegedly barred from appearing in examinations. The stay will remain in force until further orders.

The direction was issued by a division bench comprising Chief Justice M.S. Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar while hearing an appeal filed by the Jharkhand government and the Jharkhand University of Technology (JUT). The matter has been listed for further hearing on January 29.

During the hearing, the CBI informed the court that it had already registered a preliminary inquiry in compliance with an earlier order of the High Court.

Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan, appearing for the state, submitted that DIT was authorised to admit only 60 students on September 9, 2025, but had enrolled 138 students in clear violation of norms. Despite this, the institute approached the High Court seeking relief, he argued.

The court was told that a writ petition filed by DIT was heard on January 12 and 13, after which a single bench on January 13 ordered a CBI probe into the matter. Challenging this direction, the state government and JUT filed an appeal before the division bench.

Earlier, the single bench had described the issue as serious, observing that preventing engineering students from appearing in examinations amounted to jeopardising their future. It had ordered a CBI investigation into the roles of the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) and JUT.

The single bench had also noted that AICTE approved DIT’s intake for the 2025–26 academic session on April 30, 2025, yet students were later denied permission to sit for examinations, pointing to serious irregularities rather than a mere administrative lapse.

With inputs from IANS