Supreme Court refuses to stay BPSC Mains exam scheduled for April 25

NEW DELHI : The Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to stay the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) Mains examination scheduled for April 25 and rejected pleas alleging paper leak during a preliminary test on December 13 last year. A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Manmohan dismissed a batch of petitions seeking the cancellation of the 70th BPSC Combined Competitive Preliminary Exams, citing a lack of conclusive evidence to justify a re-test for all candidates.

Senior advocate Anjana Prakash, appearing for the petitioners, argued that digital evidence, including WhatsApp messages and video clips, demonstrated that question papers were leaked before the exam. One such video allegedly showed answers being announced via loudspeakers at an examination centre, she added.

The top court's order came on the pleas filed against the Patna High Court verdict, which had dismissed the petitions, saying there was no definitive evidence of malpractice across multiple exam centres. That decision allowed the BPSC to proceed with the mains examination.

Earlier on January 7, a bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna refused to examine a plea over the alleged irregularities in the BPSC exam held on December 13, 2024, and the consequent police action on protesters. The bench asked the petitioners to move the Patna High Court with the grievances.

Bihar police had allegedly used force to control civil service aspirants who demanded the cancellation of the BPSC examination held on December 13, 2024. The state public service commission ordered a re-examination held on January 4 at 22 centres in Patna for certain candidates. Of the 12,012 candidates eligible for the retest, a total of 8,111 downloaded their admit cards, and 5,943 appeared for the examination.