New Delhi, Apr 23 The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to halt the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) mains examination scheduled from April 25 as it dismissed a clutch of petitions alleging irregularities in the 70th BPSC preliminary exam.
A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan declined to entertain the prayer to re-conduct the preliminary examination, amid the allegations of question paper leaks at certain centres.
Earlier on March 28, the Patna High Court had dismissed a total of 14 petitions filed by aggrieved candidates, delivering a significant relief to the BPSC and the Bihar government.
A division bench headed by Acting Chief Justice Ashutosh Kumar, which had earlier reserved the judgment after hearing multiple petitions, including a PIL filed by Pappu Kumar and others, ruled that the preliminary examination will not be conducted again, bringing closure to the prolonged legal battle.
The 70th BPSC preliminary test examination was held on December 13, 2024, with more than 3.8 lakh candidates appearing at 912 examination centres.
Irregularities were reported, including question paper leaks at certain centres. The BPSC ordered a re-examination only for the Bapu Sabhagar Centre in Patna on January 4, 2025.
One of the major concerns raised by petitioners was the granting of six additional marks to candidates who appeared in the re-examination, while three questions were found to be incorrect, two questions were repeated from a previous exam, and one question was factually incorrect. The petitioners argued that while the candidates of the January 4 re-exam were awarded these extra six marks, other candidates who appeared on December 13 last year were deprived of this benefit.
The alleged unfairness led to widespread protests in Patna, with many candidates demanding a complete cancellation of the 70th BPSC PT exam. The protests intensified, resulting in a police lathi-charge, leaving several students injured.
A case was also registered against coaching institute teachers accused of inciting the protests. Prominent political leaders, including Rahul Gandhi (Congress), Tejashwi Yadav (RJD), Prashant Kishor (Jansuraj), Pappu Yadav (independent) and others had lent support to the protesting candidates at Gardanibagh, Patna.
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