BPSC exam row: SC declines plea over irregularities & police action, asks petitioners to move Patna high court | India News


NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to consider a petition seeking cancellation of the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) 70th Combined Preliminary Competitive Examination held on December 13. The petition, which also called for action against officials accused of excessive force on protesting candidates, was due to be filed in the patna high court instead.
CJI Sanjiv Khanna, hearing the matter, acknowledged the concerns of the petitioners. “We understand your feelings on the matter… but we cannot be the court of first instance,” the CJI said, adding, “We feel that it will be appropriate and expeditious for the petitioner to approach the Patna High Court under Article 226 “. of the Constitution.”
The controversy arises from allegations of a paper leak at the Bapu Examination Complex in Patna. Following the uproar, the BPSC canceled the exam at the center and scheduled a new test for the affected candidates on January 4. Of the 12,012 eligible aspirants, more than 5,900 appeared for the new exam at 22 centers in Patna.
The dispute led to protests in Patna, with thousands of aspirants demanding the cancellation of the entire exam. On December 24, BPSC chairman Parmar Rai Manubhai dismissed calls for a complete cancellation, saying irregularities were limited to a single centre. Despite this clarification, many candidates persisted in their demands, leading to clashes with police near Gandhi Maidan.
The protests turned violent when candidates attempted to break through barricades and march towards the prime minister’s residence. Police used batons and water cannons to disperse the crowd, leaving several injured. Later, Patna authorities declared Gandhi Maidan a restricted zone, banning student gatherings.
Jan Suraaj founder Prashant Kishor expressed support for the protesters. Kishor criticized the state government for its response and said, “Bihar is the cradle of democracy and students are being denied their fundamental right to express themselves.”





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