Rajasthan High Court Accepts Apology, Ends Contempt Proceedings Against RPSC Officials
The Rajasthan High Court has formally closed contempt proceedings against Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) chairman Utkal Ranjan Sahoo and secretary Ramniwas Mehta. This decisive action came on Friday after both senior officials submitted unconditional apologies for providing incorrect information regarding a controversial recruitment examination result.
Court Accepts Affidavits and Apologies
Justice Ashok Kumar Jain's court accepted the affidavits filed by the RPSC chairman and secretary, in which they sought forgiveness for their actions. The court determined that no further punitive action was necessary once the officials demonstrated remorse through their formal apologies. This resolution followed the court's earlier finding that the RPSC had misrepresented critical facts concerning the withdrawal of examination results announced on January 22.
The commission had incorrectly claimed that withdrawing the results followed a court order that simply did not exist. This factual misrepresentation formed the core of the contempt proceedings that have now been conclusively resolved through judicial acceptance of the officials' contrition.
Background of the Recruitment Controversy
The entire controversy originated from RPSC's decision to exclude specific candidates from the Senior Teacher (Agriculture) recruitment process. The commission's justification centered on their determination that the candidates' BSc (Biology) qualifications were not equivalent to Entomology requirements. This exclusion prompted legal challenges from affected candidates.
Initially, five petitioners including Durgalal Regar challenged the RPSC's decision before the high court. Subsequently, three additional candidates filed similar writ petitions, bringing the total number of legal challenges to eight separate cases. After thorough hearings, the high court dismissed three of these petitions. However, for petitioner Durgalal Regar and four other candidates, the court issued specific directions for the commission to keep certain teaching posts vacant until final adjudication could occur.
RPSC's Problematic Result Declaration
Despite these clear judicial directions, RPSC proceeded to declare the recruitment results on January 22, 2026. In doing so, the commission categorically classified all petitions as "dismissed," creating a significant legal problem. The petitioners' legal counsel immediately objected, arguing that two writ petitions remained actively pending before the court and that the commission had incorrectly stated they had been rejected.
On February 5, Justice Ashok Kumar Jain made a crucial observation that declaring results while treating pending petitions as dismissed could potentially amount to contempt of court. The court directed RPSC to withdraw the announced result immediately, warning that failure to comply would require the personal appearance of both the chairman and secretary before the court.
Commission's Explanation and Compliance
The commission subsequently clarified that it had misunderstood a January 16, 2025 order from another batch of cases, which the court characterized as an irresponsible interpretation. Then, on February 11, RPSC formally informed the court that the controversial result had been withdrawn in full compliance with the judicial order. This compliance set the stage for the final resolution.
On February 13, both chairman Utkal Ranjan Sahoo and secretary Ramniwas Mehta filed detailed affidavits tendering their unconditional apologies to the court. These documents expressed remorse for the incorrect information submission and demonstrated their commitment to proper judicial process adherence moving forward.
Judicial Resolution and Closure
The court's acceptance of these apologies and subsequent closure of contempt proceedings represents a significant judicial resolution to a complex administrative and legal matter. This case highlights the critical importance of accurate information submission to judicial authorities and the consequences of misrepresenting facts in official proceedings.
The resolution ensures that the recruitment process for Senior Teacher (Agriculture) positions can now proceed with greater transparency and adherence to legal standards, while simultaneously reinforcing the authority of judicial oversight over administrative bodies like RPSC.
