Supreme Court Refuses To Hear BPSC Exam Cancellation Plea Over Alleged Paper Leak, Asks Petitioners To Move Patna HC

On Tuesday (7 January), the Supreme Court declined to consider a petition that called for the cancellation of the 70th Combined Competitive Exams (preliminary) administered by the Bihar Public Services Commission (BPSC) due to purported paper leakage, Indian Express reported.

The court advised the petitioner to first take the matter to the Patna High Court. The Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, who was leading a three-judge bench, stated that the Supreme Court cannot act as the court of first instance for every issue and suggested that the high court should be approached initially.

The legal representative for the petitioner, Anand Legal Aid Forum Trust, aimed to bring to the court's attention the police's use of batons on protesters of the alleged leak. He informed the bench, which also included Justices Sanjay Kumar and K V Viswanathan about "how the Bihar Police has brutally lathi-charged the protesters."

The attorney also indicated that the lathi charge on the demonstrators occurred close to the residence of the Chief Justice of the Patna High Court, suggesting that the high court could have initiated proceedings on its own accord. Nonetheless, the Supreme Court bench refrained from making any remarks.

The attorney noted the regular occurrence of paper leaks in competitive exams and sought the court's intervention. However, the bench remained unmoved, stating in its ruling, "We believe it would be more suitable and quicker if the petitioner were to approach the Patna High Court with a petition under Article 226, hence we decline to consider the current writ petition."