The High Court of Chhattisgarh has rejected a bail application submitted by Jeevan Kishore Dhruv, a 62-year-old retired IAS officer and former Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission secretary accused of leaking the 2021 state civil services main examination question papers to benefit his son.
Denying the plea, the court stated that leaking competitive examination materials constitutes an offense more severe than murder. The bench observed that while homicide impacts an individual household, compromising recruitment exams damages the prospects of thousands of young candidates who prepare extensively, ultimately harming society at large. The court described the alleged misconduct by a senior administrator as a case of the fence eating the crop, highlighting that witness statements, physical recoveries, and investigation records pointed toward Dhruv misusing his official standing to supply confidential test details to his son.
Prosecution Details Systemic Breach
Opposing the release on bail, Central Bureau of Investigation counsel Vaibhav Goverdhan told the court that Dhruv was legally obligated to maintain complete confidentiality surrounding public recruitment tests. The prosecution submitted that Dhruv and co-accused individuals violated examination security for direct and indirect personal gains, sharing question details that enabled his son, Sumit Dhruv, to study specific topics appearing on the exam. The CBI stated that Sumit Dhruv was subsequently appointed as a deputy collector, arguing that such large-scale administrative irregularities compromise the integrity and fairness of public hiring processes.
Defense Maintains Innocence And Recusal
Representing Dhruv, defense counsel Devershi Thakur argued that the retired officer was falsely implicated and made a scapegoat solely because of his administrative role as commission secretary. The defense pointed out that Dhruv was not named in the primary first information report and that law enforcement seized only a mobile phone without recovering additional incriminating materials. Thakur further stated that Dhruv had formally informed authorities of his sons’ candidacy and was completely recused from confidential duties related to the 2021 examinations, as documented in official administrative orders.
The defense added that one of Dhruv’s sons failed the examination while the second, appearing for his third attempt, placed well below top-ranking positions. Thakur noted that Dhruv has no prior criminal record, has remained in custody since September 18, 2025, and that a co-accused in the matter had previously been granted bail by the Supreme Court. Stressing that the trial involves more than 100 witnesses and is unlikely to conclude quickly, the defense maintained that Dhruv posed no risk of absconding or influencing witnesses. The court, however, ruled that the gravity of the allegations against public examination integrity justified his continued custody.
