The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notice to Jagdish Vishnoi, an accused in the Sub-Inspector recruitment exam paper leak case, on a plea by the Rajasthan government seeking cancellation of his bail. The matter was heard by a bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Kotiswar Singh after the state challenged the Rajasthan High Court's January 16 order granting bail to Vishnoi, which the prosecution described as linked to grave and organized criminal activity.
State's Argument
Additional Advocate General Shiv Mangal Sharma, representing the Rajasthan government, said, “We filed the special leave petition (SLP) against the bail order on April 29 to object to the bail.” Additional Solicitor General S D Sanjay and Sharma opposed the continuation of bail, arguing that Vishnoi was among the masterminds and kingpins of the network. Prosecutors alleged that Vishnoi, along with other accused and centre superintendent Rajesh Khandelwal, procured confidential question papers through WhatsApp after allegedly paying Rs 10 lakh. The papers were later solved and circulated among candidates for money.
Evidence Presented
Sharma informed the court that investigators recovered a diary containing details of candidates and financial transactions, and a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report confirmed that the handwriting belonged to Vishnoi. He further argued, “He was involved in similar criminal activities since 2008 and was a history-sheeter, with 13 other criminal cases.”
The state also told the court that 139 accused have been arrested so far and nearly 150 witnesses are yet to be examined. The Supreme Court asked Vishnoi to respond on why his bail should not be cancelled.
