The Supreme Court on Friday revised its earlier April 2 order regarding the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) recruitment examination for sub-inspector and platoon commander posts, scheduled for April 5–6, 2025. Instead of allowing 713 candidates to appear for the exam, the court has now permitted only one candidate, Suraj Mal Meena, to take the test.
This decision came as a relief to the RPSC after it filed an application claiming that certain key facts had not been presented before the court earlier. A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma convened on a holiday to hear the matter and modify its previous directive.
Earlier, on Thursday, the Supreme Court had directed the RPSC to issue provisional admit cards to 713 candidates, including Meena, who had approached the court seeking permission to appear in the exam. The bench had also stated that the results of these candidates would remain withheld until the Rajasthan High Court delivered its verdict on related petitions.
However, after hearing fresh submissions from the RPSC’s counsel, the court reconsidered its stance. It limited the relief to Meena alone, allowing only him to sit for the examination. The court further clarified that the remaining candidates, who were not direct parties before it, could approach the Rajasthan High Court and seek permission to reappear if the pending verdict supports conducting another exam for them.
The RPSC is conducting this recruitment drive to fill 1,015 positions, with over 7.7 lakh candidates expected to participate. The current examination follows the cancellation of an earlier test due to allegations of widespread irregularities and malpractice. When the commission decided to conduct a fresh exam without granting age relaxation to certain candidates, it triggered legal challenges.
Initially, a single-judge bench of the Rajasthan High Court had allowed affected candidates to appear provisionally. However, this order was later stayed by a division bench, prompting the aggrieved candidates to approach the Supreme Court.
With the latest modification, the Supreme Court has narrowed its relief significantly, while leaving the final decision regarding other candidates to the outcome of the High Court proceedings.
