Rajasthan High Court Takes Strong Stand in SI Recruitment 2021 Scam, Summons RPSC and SOG; ED Joins Probe
Rajasthan HC hears plea against SI scam NEW DELHI: The Rajasthan High Court on Monday held a hearing in the alleged irregularities in the recruitment process for Sub-Inspector (SI) in the year 2021. Justice Sameer Jain, who heard the matter, issued notice to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to join the probe as it can look into the possibility of money laundering and financial crimes in the scam. The court also directed the RPSC chairman and the Additional Director General (ADG) of the SOG to appear before it. The hearing will continue on Tuesday.
SI Recruitment 2021 Scam – ED’s Entry into the Case
At the outset of the hearing, Additional Solicitor General Rajdeepak Rastogi told the court that the ED had already registered a case in the SI recruitment scam and hence could not help as amici curiae. Justice Jain said the irregularities were so serious that it was imperative that the ED should come in to expose the financial angle of the scam. He also asked why the recruitment process was carried on even after the papers were leaked and questioned the integrity of the entire process.
Selected Candidates Under Scrutiny
The court was very critical of the three candidates for not appearing before the court. Justice Jain said it was as if they were deliberately avoiding the court and complicating the matter.
Unselected Candidates’ Arguments
Senior Advocate Major R. P. Singh and Advocate Harendra Neel, who appeared on behalf of the unemployed candidates, submitted that the recruitment process should be cancelled in view of the SOG report, the ministerial committee’s recommendations and the opinion of the Attorney General, which has exposed widespread malpractice and called for cancellation of the recruitment. “The number of trainee SIs arrested is 50 but the actual participants in the scam may be many more, ” they said.
Advocate Neel said the question paper was leaked 35 days before the exam by RPSC member Babulal Katara, who allegedly gave it to Ramuram Raika, who in turn shared it with a series of persons, including Raika’s children Devesh and Shobha, who in turn shared it with many candidates. Such a breach in the exam integrity would render the entire recruitment process void, they said.
State Government’s Response
Additional Advocate General Vigyan Shah, appearing for the state government, told the court that a fair investigation was going on and six FIRs had been registered. “Fifty candidates have been identified as involved in the scam. More time is required to unravel the extent of the scam, ” he said. Shah said the chief minister had appointed a ministerial committee whose report was being submitted to help in the investigation.
Justice Sameer Jain said, “How are we to believe the recruitment process when the very basis of the recruitment process is faulty? Why has the government not taken a stand? Do we need to refer the case to CBI? ” “How can recruitment be taken place when the exam paper has been leaked? ” the court asked.
SOG Report Findings
The SOG report submitted in court said that the paper was leaked on the exam day itself and the answers were shared via Bluetooth and solver gangs during the test, which made it difficult to identify all the culprits.
Why No Decision Yet?
The court said it was appreciative of the steps the government had taken so far but in the light of the massive evidence of irregularities on record it would be difficult to accept that no final decision was taken and asked as to who is in a position to take a final decision and why no action had been taken so far.
What’s Next?
While the court has not yet decided to scrap the recruitment, the move by the ED to take over the investigation points to a more comprehensive probe into the financial angle of the scam. At the next hearing, it will be clear whether the case will be transferred to the CBI or if the recruitment process will be scrapped.
The 2021 SI recruitment scandal has tarnished the process, but the High Court’s intervention provides a chance for a fair outcome. As the investigation progresses, we will be watching the next hearing to see how the court and the government manages this high-profile case.
