JPSC Recruitment Irregularities Reach Supreme Court, Plea Seeks CBI Probe and Preservation of Evidence

A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking an independent CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Preliminary Examination and other state-level recruitment examinations. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the plea on August 24.

The petition seeks transfer of the investigation from the Jharkhand CID to the CBI, along with directions to preserve physical and digital evidence, including OMR answer sheets, CCTV footage and examination-related electronic records.

The PIL has been filed by social activist Harisharan Devgan through advocate Satyam Singh Rajput. It alleges serious irregularities in the conduct and evaluation of the JPSC Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2025, conducted on April 19, 2026. The petitioner has sought cancellation of the examination and a fresh test under safeguards approved by the Supreme Court.

Dispute over OMR answer sheet

The petition comes amid controversy that intensified after the preliminary examination results were declared on July 2. According to the plea, a carbon copy of the OMR answer sheet of a successful candidate subsequently surfaced, raising questions over the evaluation process.

The petitioner has alleged that the candidate was declared qualified despite reportedly answering only 48 of the 100 questions in Paper-I. The allegations triggered protests in Ranchi and raised demands for a transparent investigation into the examination process.

The allegations are currently part of the legal proceedings, and the claims will have to be examined through the appropriate investigation and judicial process.

Demand for independent expert panel

Apart from a CBI investigation, the petition seeks the formation of an independent committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge or a retired Chief Justice or judge of a High Court from outside Jharkhand.

The proposed committee would include experts in forensic science, information technology, examination security, OMR evaluation, cyber security and public administration.

The petitioner has also sought an independent audit of the entire examination chain, including OMR scanning, coding, evaluation and result-generation systems. The plea further asks authorities to examine whether candidates allegedly affected by any irregularities can be objectively categorised as “tainted” or “untainted” through a transparent process.

Petition seeks preservation of examination records

The plea also asks the Supreme Court to issue directions to JPSC, government authorities, agencies, contractors and service providers involved in the examination to preserve all relevant records and data.

According to the petitioner, protecting such evidence is important because examination records, digital systems and surveillance footage could be crucial in determining whether any irregularities occurred and identifying the stage at which they may have taken place.

JPSC recruitment controversy widens

The Supreme Court petition comes at a time when Jharkhand's recruitment examination system is facing wider scrutiny.

On August 18, the Jharkhand government issued a notification cancelling 22 recruitment examinations, including the 11th to 13th JPSC examinations, following allegations of irregularities and weeks of protests.

However, the Jharkhand High Court on August 20 stayed the state government's order cancelling the appointments of government employees recruited through the 11th to 13th JPSC examinations. The order came while hearing petitions filed by newly appointed officials challenging the government's decision.

The developments have therefore created two parallel legal fronts: challenges before the Jharkhand High Court concerning the cancellation of appointments and examinations, and the fresh PIL before the Supreme Court seeking an independent investigation into alleged irregularities.

The Supreme Court's August 24 hearing is expected to indicate how the apex court views the demand for a CBI or independent probe and the proposed safeguards for preserving examination records and conducting any fresh examination.
 

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