What happened
The Supreme Court issued notice to the State of Jharkhand and the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) on a petition seeking an independent, time-bound investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into alleged malpractices in the Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination (state-conducted).
A bench led by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant heard the petition filed by activist Harisharan Devgan. Counsel argued that students had been protesting for over a month regarding alleged irregularities. Counsel requested investigation by an independent agency such as the CBI rather than by the State CID (State Crime Investigation Department), which was already handling the matter. The petition sought judicial consideration for an independent inquiry.
Background and earlier position
The petition concerns alleged irregularities in a state-conducted civil services preliminary examination in Jharkhand, with the Jharkhand Public Service Commission as the examination conducting body mentioned in the petition’s framing.
Counsel submitted that the State CID was already dealing with the matter, and the petition asked for a shift to investigation by an independent central investigation agency, namely the CBI.
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