The Rajasthan High Court has stepped in to address the concerns of thousands of candidates aspiring for assistant professor positions in the state. A single-judge bench has demanded a formal explanation from the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) regarding the notification of the syllabus for a recently advertised recruitment examination.
Court Order Amidst Candidate Grievances
Justice Ashok Kumar Jain issued the directive on Tuesday while hearing a writ petition. The petition was filed by Yaduraj Singh Foujdar and other candidates who challenged the extremely short preparation time provided for the examination. They also raised the issue of the alleged non-availability of a properly revised syllabus for the competitive test.
Appearing for the petitioners, advocate Ram Pratap Saini presented the sequence of events to the court. He stated that the RPSC first issued an advertisement on December 13, 2024, inviting applications for 575 assistant professor posts. However, this advertisement was later withdrawn by the Commission on September 18, 2025, citing the need for amendments. Subsequently, a revised advertisement was published, this time for 574 posts.
Inadequate Preparation Time Alleged
The counsel argued that the revised advertisement left aspiring candidates with a severely constrained preparation period. He pointed out that with exams scheduled to begin on December 7, 2025, candidates were left with less than three months, specifically just 79 days, to prepare.
"We maintain that this time frame is grossly inadequate considering the highly competitive syllabus that covers specialised, postgraduate-level subjects, general knowledge, teaching aptitude, and research methodology," Saini told the court. He emphasized that the complexity and breadth of the syllabus demanded a much longer and reasonable preparation window.
Adding to the confusion, Saini submitted that many students were unsure about the exact scheme and pattern of the syllabus. Based on these grounds, the petitioners requested the court to direct the RPSC to postpone the examination and provide candidates with a fair and reasonable amount of time to prepare.
Allegations of Arbitrary Conduct
Drawing a comparison with previous recruitment drives, the petitioners' counsel accused the RPSC of acting arbitrarily in this instance. "Unlike other recruitments, where the RPSC provided ample preparation time, they have acted arbitrarily in this case and put thousands of aspirants at a disadvantage," he argued before the bench.
Taking serious note of these submissions and concerns, Justice Ashok Kumar Jain directed the Secretary of the RPSC to file an affidavit by Wednesday. The affidavit must clarify a crucial point: whether the syllabus for the revised advertisement was officially notified or not. If it was not notified, the Commission must explain the reasons for this omission.
This judicial intervention highlights the ongoing tensions between recruitment bodies and candidates over procedural fairness. The court's order puts the onus on the RPSC to justify its process and timeline, potentially impacting the schedule for filling hundreds of academic positions in Rajasthan.
