Rajasthan High Court upholds cancellation of 2021 police Sub-Inspector exam over paper leak

In a significant decision, a Division Bench of the Rajasthan High Court on Saturday (April 4, 2026) upheld the cancellation of the police Sub-Inspector recruitment examination of 2021, while affirming an earlier order passed by a Single Judge Bench. The exam was quashed on the grounds of large-scale irregularities and paper leakage.

The Bench, led by Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma, delivered its judgment while deciding on the appeals filed by selected candidates and the State government. The court set aside the suo motu cognisance taken by the Single Judge Bench against some members of the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC).

In its 211-page judgment, the Division Bench stated that there should be “no political appointments” within the Commission, and directed the State government to enact a new law governing RPSC selection, and ensure complete transparency in the recruitment processes.

“The shortlisting of candidates at this stage is no longer feasible. Therefore, the Sub-Inspector recruitment examination of 2021 will remain cancelled,” the Bench ruled.

The Single Judge Bench of Justice Sameer Jain had on August 28, 2025 cancelled the examination after finding large-scale irregularities, paper leakage, impersonation of candidates, and the involvement of some members of the RPSC in the scam.

The examination to fill 859 vacancies of Sub-Inspectors and platoon commanders was held in September 2021. Allegations of widespread paper leakage soon surfaced, prompting the State government to hand over the investigation to the Special Operations Group (SOG), which arrested 122 persons, including 55 trainees and two members of the RPSC.

The paper leak scam was one of the major political issues during the 2023 State Assembly election, and both the previous Congress government and the present Bharatiya Janata Party regime faced criticism over the handling of the matter. However, a Cabinet Sub-Committee recommended against cancelling the recruitment process, saying only 6.3% of examinees were found to be tainted by the SOG probe.

The Division Bench had on September 9, 2025 temporarily stayed the Single Judge Bench order on the appeal, and directed that the selected candidates would not be given field postings till further orders. The matter was then taken to the Supreme Court, which asked the Division Bench to deliver its final judgment within three months.