Jharkhand HC orders CBI probe after AICTE-approved students barred from exams

Ranchi, Jan 13 The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday ordered a CBI probe into a case in which students were denied permission to appear for examinations despite being admitted to a Dhanbad-based technical institution duly approved by the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE).

The High Court passed the order while hearing a writ petition filed by the Principal of the Dhanbad Institute of Technology.

The court made strong observations regarding the conduct of the Jharkhand University of Technology (JUT) and the AICTE, terming the issue far more serious than a mere administrative lapse.

As per the court’s directions, the Registrar of JUT appeared before the bench. Upon examining the records, the court noted that the AICTE had granted approval to the petitioner institute for admissions for the academic session 2025-26 on April 30, 2025.

Acting on this approval, the institute admitted students. However, the JUT subsequently refused to allow the enrolled students to appear for the examinations.

The High Court compared the situation to traffic police removing "No Entry" or "No Parking" signs to trap unsuspecting citizens, observing that the JUT appeared to have adopted a similar approach in this case.

The court remarked that the matter prima facie involved serious manipulation of students’ futures and could amount to grave and corrupt practices by state agencies.

Considering the seriousness of the allegations, the High Court impleaded the CBI through the Union of India as a respondent and ordered a detailed investigation. The CBI has been directed to probe the process under which the AICTE and the JUT denied students the opportunity to appear for examinations after their lawful admission, as well as the roles played by the officials concerned.

Assistant Solicitor General Prashant Pallav accepted notice on behalf of the CBI. The court directed the agency to submit its investigation report in a sealed cover within two weeks. Both the JUT and the AICTE have been instructed to extend full cooperation to the investigating agency.

The matter is scheduled for further hearing on February 3.

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