SC to hear plea seeking CBI probe into Jharkhand public service exams irregularities on Aug 24

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a plea seeking an independent, time-bound probe by the CBI into alleged malpractices in the Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination.

A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana is likely to take up the petition filed by activist Harisharan Devgan, through advocate Satyam Singh Rajput, for hearing.

"The present writ petition under Article 32 of the Constitution of India is being preferred in public interest seeking urgent intervention of this court in relation to serious and substantial concerns regarding the integrity, fairness, transparency and credibility of the Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Preliminary Competitive Examination–2025, conducted by respondent no. 2–Jharkhand Public Service Commission pursuant to Advertisement No. 01/2026 on April 19, 2026," it said. 

The plea has also sought transfer of the investigation from the state CID to the CBI to ensure an impartial probe into public officials and examination agencies. 

“The petitioner submits that the controversy cannot appropriately be examined merely as a dispute concerning individual candidates or isolated instances of alleged malpractice. 

"The allegations require examination of the entire examination chain, including preparation and printing of question papers, coding, storage, transportation, distribution, conduct of the examination, collection and custody of OMR sheets, scanning, coding and decoding, evaluation, storage and access to electronic examination data, generation of the result and publication thereof," it said.

It has also sought direction to immediately secure all physical and digital evidence, including original and candidate-held OMR carbon copies, CCTV footage, and server audit logs, to prevent tampering.

"The petitioner is conscious that the mere existence of allegations or public protests cannot, by itself, justify cancellation of an examination. The petitioner, therefore, does not seek cancellation merely on the basis of media reports or allegations. 

"The principal relief sought is for an independent, impartial, comprehensive and time-bound investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation, so that the nature, extent, mechanism and impact of the alleged irregularities may be objectively determined," it said. 

It further added that the consequential question whether the preliminary examination can safely be relied upon must thereafter be determined on the basis of objective and scientifically verifiable evidence. 

The petitioner said he raises a constitutional question concerning whether a public recruitment examination conducted by a constitutional authority has retained the minimum degree of fairness, transparency, reliability and institutional integrity necessary for its result to constitute the lawful basis for public appointments.