Raj paper leak case: Truth has won, says Minister Meena; RLP's Beniwal celebrates with fireworks

Jaipur, Aug 28 (IANS) Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Dr Kirodi Lal Meena on Thursday welcomed the High Court's decision to scrap the Sub Inspector (SI) Recruitment Exam-2021, saying the truth has won.

Meena, who spearheaded agitations against the recruitment initially, said the government had caught only 58 fake sub-inspectors, "but according to my documents, more than 50 per cent of the selected candidates were fake. If such people had joined the service, law and order would have collapsed".

He said the decision, though delayed, was very good.

Meena has written a letter to the CM demanding that the exam be conducted again.

Earlier in the day, the High Court cancelled the Sub Inspector (SI) Recruitment Exam-2021 conducted for 859 posts, citing large-scale irregularities and the involvement of Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) members in the paper leak.

Delivering the verdict, Justice Sameer Jain observed that the leaked exam paper had spread across the state and even reached Bluetooth gangs. The court noted three dimensions of the scam: first, two RPSC members were directly involved in leaking the paper; second, dummy candidates were deployed on a large scale; and third, Bluetooth gangs facilitated the leak.

“It is not possible to separate genuine and fake candidates in such circumstances. If even one ineligible person becomes a police station in-charge, it will be disastrous,” the bench stated. The court ordered that the 2021 recruitment posts be merged into the upcoming 2025 recruitment, with all previous candidates eligible to reappear.

Petitioners’ lawyer Harendra Neel said that nearly 897 posts will now be included in the new recruitment.

Nagaur MP and Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP) supremo Hanuman Beniwal also expressed happiness with the court's decision.

Fireworks were set off outside his residence in Nagaur as the verdict was announced. “Our dharna at Shaheed Smarak in Jaipur lasted more than four months. The High Court has now given a severe blow to the arrogant BJP government. Instead of punishing those behind the scam, the BJP, like Congress earlier, tried to shield them. This shows both parties have failed the youth,” Beniwal alleged.

Beniwal also congratulated the Sangharsh Samiti, which fought alongside RLP, declaring, “Truth and struggle have won today.”

The scam had earlier led to the arrest of former RPSC member Ramu Ram Raika, his son Devesh Raika and daughter Shobha Raika. While the latter two are out on bail, Raika remains in jail.

Meanwhile, protesting youths at the Shaheed Smarak in Jaipur expressed relief, saying their struggle had finally borne fruit.

--IANS

arc/dpb