SC dismiss plea seeking re-examination of BPSC 70th PT, allows Mains

The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a petition demanding the re-conduct of the 70th Preliminary Test (PT) of the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC), while expressing concern over the growing trend of legal challenges against public examinations. The apex court also instructed that the BPSC 70th Main examination, scheduled to begin from April 25, should be conducted on time.

A division bench comprising Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice Manmohan heard the plea filed by the Anand Legal Aid Forum Trust. The court observed that there was no substantial evidence to justify scrapping and re-conducting the examination for all candidates who appeared in the December 13, 2024 test.

While pronouncing the order, the Supreme Court expressed its dissatisfaction with the rising habit of challenging almost every public recruitment exam in court. The bench said such petitions often delay the recruitment process and affect lakhs of aspirants waiting for results and appointments.

The Patna High Court had earlier ruled on March 28 that there was no credible evidence of mass cheating or malpractice across examination centres. The petitioners had cited instances of paper leaks and irregularities, but the High Court noted that the claims were largely based on unverified social media posts and lacked verifiable proof.

The Supreme Court echoed this view, adding that without tangible evidence, it would not be fair to disrupt the examination process for all candidates. As such, the court upheld the High Court’s decision and instructed BPSC to go ahead with the scheduled main examination without any delay.