Supreme Court Issues Notice on Plea for CBI Probe into Jharkhand Exam Irregularities

The Supreme Court of India has issued notices to the Central government, the Jharkhand government, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), and the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) regarding a plea seeking a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Preliminary Competitive Examination 2025. A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana heard the petition filed by activist Harisharan Devgan, who is seeking an independent and time bound investigation into the recruitment process for 103 posts. The petitioner argues that the entire examination chain, from the printing and transportation of papers to the evaluation of OMR sheets, requires scrutiny to determine if the irregularities were systemic. The plea specifically requests the forensic examination of candidate held carbon copies of OMR sheets to check for discrepancies against official results. While the Jharkhand CID is currently probing the matter, the petitioner seeks a transfer of the investigation to the CBI to ensure impartiality. During the proceedings, the Supreme Court expressed concern over the functioning of the recruitment commission and questioned whether the same body also conducts judicial services examinations. This legal challenge follows a period of unrest where job aspirants staged a 26 day agitation, which was suspended after the Hemant Soren government cancelled 22 recruitment examinations and ordered probes into 23 others.