Rajasthan High Court Cancels 2021 SI Recruitment Amidst Paper Leak Controversy

A division bench of the Rajasthan High Court on Thursday cancelled the SI recruitment examination 2021.

Jaipur: A significant decision has been reached regarding the much-discussed Rajasthan Sub-Inspector (SI) recruitment of 2021. A division bench of the Rajasthan High Court on Thursday completely cancelled the recruitment examination. Justice Samir Jain's bench had reserved its judgment on 14 August after hearing arguments from all parties, which has now been delivered.

This case had been in court for almost a year. On 13 August 2023, some candidates filed a petition demanding the cancellation of the recruitment process. They alleged widespread irregularities and paper leaks in the examination, resulting in injustice to honest candidates.

Arguments of the Government and Candidates

During the hearing, the state government argued that only the collusion of 68 candidates had come to light. These included 54 trainee SIs, 6 selected candidates, and 8 absconding accused.

The government stated that instead of cancelling the entire process, action was being taken against the guilty and the investigation was being conducted by the SOG (Special Operations Group).

On the other hand, the selected candidates told the court that they had taken the examination honestly and many candidates had even left their previous government jobs for this recruitment. Cancelling the entire recruitment would be a blow to the future of thousands of eligible candidates.

Court's Decision and Impact

After considering all arguments, the High Court ordered the cancellation of the recruitment. The court believes that the integrity of the selection process is paramount and if there is doubt about it, continuing the entire recruitment is not appropriate.

This decision has cast a cloud of uncertainty over the future of thousands of candidates. However, the court has indicated that the state government can start a new recruitment process in a transparent manner.

This decision is being considered a significant message not only for this recruitment but also for the credibility of upcoming government examinations.