JPSC exam row: Supreme Court seeks Centre, Jharkhand government's response on plea for CBI probe

The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre, Jharkhand government and other authorities on a plea seeking an independent, impartial and time-bound CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination 2025.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant and comprising Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana issued notices to the Union of India, Jharkhand government, Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and other respondents.

Senior advocate Manan Kumar Mishra, appearing for the petitioner, told the bench that the plea seeks either a CBI probe or an inquiry by a former Supreme Court judge.

The petition was filed by activist Harisharan Devgan through advocate Satyam Singh Rajput. It has raised concerns over the integrity, fairness, transparency and credibility of the preliminary examination conducted by the JPSC.

Plea seeks transfer of probe from Jharkhand CID to CBI

The petitioner has sought the transfer of the ongoing investigation from the state CID to the CBI, arguing that an independent agency is required to examine the alleged irregularities, including those involving public officials and examination agencies.

The plea said the controversy should not be viewed merely as a dispute involving individual candidates or isolated cases of alleged malpractice. It has sought an examination of the entire examination process, from the preparation and printing of question papers to the handling and evaluation of answer sheets.

The petitioner has specifically sought scrutiny of the question paper preparation, coding, storage, transportation and distribution, as well as the conduct of the examination and the collection and custody of OMR sheets.

The plea also calls for examination of the scanning, coding and decoding of OMR sheets, evaluation, storage and access to electronic examination data, and the generation and publication of the results.

Plea seeks protection of physical, digital evidence

The petitioner has also asked the court to direct authorities to immediately secure all physical and digital evidence connected with the examination.

This includes original OMR sheets and candidate-held carbon copies, CCTV footage and server audit logs. According to the plea, securing such material is necessary to prevent any possibility of tampering with evidence.

The petition, however, makes it clear that it is not seeking cancellation of the examination solely on the basis of allegations or media reports.

"The petitioner is conscious that the mere existence of allegations or public protests cannot, by itself, justify cancellation of an examination," the plea said, adding that its principal request is for an independent, impartial, comprehensive and time-bound investigation.

According to the petitioner, the investigation should establish the nature, extent, mechanism and impact of the alleged irregularities on the examination.

Petitioner questions reliability of preliminary exam result

The plea has also raised a broader question over whether the preliminary examination can be relied upon for subsequent recruitment decisions.

It argues that this must be determined on the basis of objective and scientifically verifiable evidence rather than allegations alone.

The petitioner has further raised a constitutional question over whether a public recruitment examination conducted by a constitutional authority continues to meet the minimum standards of fairness, transparency, reliability and institutional integrity required for its results to form the lawful basis for public appointments.

With PTI inputs