112 IN THE HIGH COURT OF PUNJAB AND HARYANA AT CHANDIGARH CWP-38698-2025 Date of decision: 21.01.2026 Akashdeep Kaur and others ....Petitioners Versus State of Punjab and others ...Respondents CORAM: HON'BLE MR. JUSTICE HARPREET SINGH BRAR Present: Dr. Rau P.S. Girwar, Advocate, Ms. Archana Rau, Advocate and Ms. K.T. Rau, Advocate for the petitioners.

Mr. Vikas Arora, DAG, Punjab.

HARPREET SINGH BRAR, J. (ORAL)

1. The present civil writ petition has been filed under Articles 226 and 227 of the Constitution of India seeking issuance of a writ in the nature of certiorari for quashing the entire recruitment process conducted pursuant to Advertisement No.6 of 2023 (Annexure P-1), including the written examination held on 28.01.2024, the result declared on 12.08.2024, and the subsequent typing test conducted from 01.12.2025 to 02.12.2025. The petitioner further seeks issuance of a writ in the nature of mandamus directing respondent No.2 to conduct a fresh, fair, and transparent recruitment examination for all posts advertised under Advertisement No.6 of 2023; directing respondents No.1 to 3 to publish the Judicial Inquiry Report; directing respondent No.5 or any other independent investigating agency to register an FIR and conduct a thorough investigation into the recruitment scam, including allegations of paper leakage, mass copying, and the involvement of officials and private individuals; and directing respondent No.2 to initiate appropriate disciplinary as well as criminal proceedings against the tainted candidates and officials involved in the said malpractices.

2. Learned State counsel has produced the inquiry report dated 24.06.2025 prepared by a retired Judge of this Court, in the original, in a sealed cover before this Court today. The sealed cover is opened in Court and the report is taken on record. The Registry is directed to tag the same at the appropriate place in the case file.

CONTENTIONS

3. Learned counsel for the petitioners, inter alia, contends that the petitioners participated in the selection process initiated for recruitment to 184 posts of Senior Assistant-cum-Inspector pursuant to Advertisement No.06 of 2023 (Annexure P-1). The result of the said selection process was declared on 12.08.2024 (Annexure P-2). Shortly thereafter, the petitioners, along with other candidates, noticed that the OMR answer sheets of the top 44 rank-holders were circulating on Telegram and other social media platforms (Annexures P-3 to P-6), disclosing striking similarities in the answer patterns. On 11.11.2024, some of the petitioners submitted representations to the authorities and also participated in large-scale protests, alleging serious irregularities in the conduct of the examination. Subsequently, the respondent-Board decided to initiate a judicial inquiry to ascertain the fairness and transparency of the selection process. In furtherance thereof, on 16.06.2025, as discernible from Annexure P- 8, the petitioners were directed to appear before the Inquiry Officer for a personal hearing. Thereafter, a legal representation dated 02.09.2025 (Annexure P-9) was also submitted, seeking a fair, independent, and impartial probe into the recruitment process.

4. Despite the representations submitted by the petitioners, the respondents proceeded to conduct the typing test on 01.12.2025 and 02.12.2025 with a view to finalising the recruitment process. Learned counsel for the petitioners further draws the attention of this Court to the comparative chart (Annexure P-20) and submits that the petitioners have compiled the data pertaining to the top 43 candidates and a striking similarity in the incorrect answers to the questions attempted by them is evident. It is contended that although the same questions were placed at different serial numbers across the four sets of question papers, an unusual and conspicuous uniformity in the incorrect responses is apparent, which raises serious doubts regarding the sanctity of the examination. Further, the pe