In a decisive ruling on Wednesday, the Supreme Court refused to stay the upcoming Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) mains examination scheduled for April 25, dismissing multiple petitions that alleged a paper leak during the preliminary examination held on December 13 last year.
Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan presided over the bench that examined the claims of malpractice during the 70th BPSC Combined Competitive Preliminary Exams. The petitions, which sought cancellation of the exams and a re-test for all candidates, were turned down due to insufficient evidence substantiating the allegations of a widespread paper leak.
Senior advocate Anjana Prakash, representing the petitioners, presented digital evidence including WhatsApp messages and video clips, claiming they showed instances of the question papers being leaked prior to the examination. Among the alleged proofs was a video that purportedly captured answers being announced through loudspeakers at one of the exam centers.
Despite these allegations, the Supreme Court’s decision aligns with the earlier verdict from the Patna High Court, which also dismissed the claims based on the lack of definitive proof of malpractice at multiple examination venues. This decision paves the way for the BPSC to continue with its scheduled mains examination.
The controversy over the BPSC exam is not new. On January 7, a bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna had declined to entertain a plea regarding alleged irregularities in the December 13, 2024 BPSC exam and the subsequent police actions against protestors. The court directed the aggrieved parties to seek redress at the Patna High Court instead.
In response to the initial outcry over the December exam, the Bihar police had reportedly used force to manage the civil service aspirants demanding the cancellation of the examination. Consequently, a re-examination was conducted on January 4 at 22 centers in Patna for selected candidates. Out of 12,012 candidates eligible for the retest, 8,111 downloaded their admit cards, and 5,943 appeared for the examination.
