Patna HC refuses to cancel BPSC preliminary examination or stay result

Patna, Jan 16 The Patna High Court refused requests to cancel the 70th Preliminary Examination of the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) or to stay the declaration of its results on Thursday.

A total of 14 petitions had been filed against the examination, citing allegations of irregularities and malpractice. A bench led by Justice Arvind Singh Chandel heard arguments from the petitioners, as well as representatives of the Bihar government and the BPSC.

The court ruled: “After hearing the arguments of all the parties as well as looking at all the facts and circumstances, we cannot give any kind of interim relief to the petitioners as demanded in the petition.”

While dismissing the request for immediate relief, the court directed the Bihar government and BPSC to submit a detailed reply by January 30, 2025.

The court emphasised that the final decision on whether the results will stand or be cancelled will depend on the outcome of future hearings. The court scheduled the next hearing for January 31, 2025.

The petitioners had sought the cancellation of the examination, alleging irregularities and a lack of transparency in the conduct of the exam. They also demanded a stay on the announcement of results until the alleged issues were resolved. The petitioners argued that mismanagement and malpractice had compromised the fairness of the examination, impacting lakhs of aspirants.

The Bihar government and BPSC countered these claims, defending the conduct of the examination and asserting that the process was carried out in accordance with established guidelines. The petitioners, represented by senior advocate Y.V. Giri, pointed out irregularities occurred not only at the Bapu Examination Complex in Patna but at 28 other centres as well.

“The question paper was leaked, and BPSC did not adequately prepare for the examination. Centres for several candidates were changed at the last moment, creating confusion and conducting the exam on two separate days (December 13 and January 4) was inherently unfair and benefited candidates appearing on the second day,” Giri argued in the court.

Advocate General P.K. Shahi and the lawyer representing BPSC refuted the allegations, asserting that only one of the 14 petitioners appeared for both exams at the Bapu Examination Complex, and no formal complaints about irregularities were received by the commission.

A thorough video recording of the Bapu Examination Complex showed no evidence of widespread malpractice, except for one candidate who fled with a question paper during the December 13 exam.

“A candidate at the Bapu Examination Complex on December 13 absconded with a question paper around 1:05 PM, with some of the questions later surfacing on social media,” said the lawyer representing BPSC.

He further argued that this was an isolated incident and did not constitute a systemic failure or leak affecting the integrity of the examination process. This individual’s actions were isolated, and BPSC took immediate steps to address the incident. Allegations of a question paper leak were denied as baseless.

Shahi also noted that a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) related to the exam is pending, and it should be included in this hearing for a holistic resolution.