Patna High Court Rules Against Blanket Denial of Public Employment Based on FIR Implication The Patna High Court recently ruled that denying public employment to individuals named in a First Information Report (FIR) is unjust and violates constitutional principles of equality and fairness. The court emphasized that such denials cannot be based on untested allegations or the mere pendency of a criminal case, stressing that formal charges must be established before any action is taken against candidates. The case centered on a group of petitioners who had successfully cleared the selection process for a public service commission exam. They had participated in re-examinations on July 19 and 20, 2024, and scored above the required cut-off. Despite this, the Bihar Public Service Commission marked their results as "in abeyance" due to their involvement in an alleged examination paper leak case, Economic Offence P.S. Case No. 06/2024. The petitioners argued that the Commission’s decision to withhold their results was an unauthorized application of the sealed cover procedure, which is typically used to suspend decisions pending formal charges. The Commission defended its actions, stating that the marked results were an administrative measure to preserve the integrity of the recruitment process. It claimed that several candidates implicated in the case had appeared in re-examinations and that legal advice prompted the decision to defer results. The Commission also noted that the petitioners had been charge-sheeted under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and other relevant laws, including Sections 420, 467, 468, 471, 120-B, and 34 IPC, as well as provisions of the Bihar Conduct of Examinations Act and the Information Technology Act.#patna_high_court #bihar_public_service_commission #economic_offence_p_s_case #monu_kumar #shivani_mishra
