Jaipur: The controversial Sub-Inspector (SI) Recruitment Examination-2021 in Rajasthan has finally been cancelled. The scandal-ridden exam was under a cloud for the past three years due to allegations of paper leaks and large-scale irregularities.

But now, acting on the recommendations of the state government, the Rajasthan Public Service Commission (RPSC) has formally annulled the recruitment process. The examination will now be conducted afresh in September 2026.

The Commission's decision, however, has sparked a fresh controversy and raised several critical questions. A total of 7.95 lakh candidates had originally applied for the recruitment, but only 3.83 lakh candidates who appeared in both papers of the 2021 examination will now be eligible for the re-examination.

This effectively excludes nearly 4.12 lakh applicants from participating in the process. Moreover, no fresh applications will be invited, depriving new aspirants of an opportunity to compete in the recruitment.

RPSC Chairman Utkal Ranjan Sahoo stated that existing candidates will be allowed to make corrections to their applications between May 16 and May 30, 2026. Candidates may update details such as mobile numbers, email addresses, residential addresses, live photographs, thumb impressions, and signatures. However, completion of the 'Know Your Customer' (KYC) process under the One Time Registration (OTR) system will be mandatory before any amendments can be made.

Additionally, all candidates must submit a self-declaration through the edit mode stating "No Amendment Required." Failure to complete this process will result in cancellation of the application.

The recruitment, being conducted for 859 posts, will comprise two papers - General Hindi and General Knowledge & General Science. Following the written examination, the entire selection procedure, including the Physical Efficiency Test (PET), Physical Standards Test (PST), and interviews will be conducted afresh. The complete recruitment exercise is likely to take nearly two years to conclude.

The Commission's decision has triggered sharp reactions from candidates across social media platforms. Aspirants argue that the move violates their fundamental right to equal opportunity. They contend that in other cancelled recruitment examinations- including EO-RO, REET, and Second Grade Teacher Recruitment - all original applicants were given another opportunity.

Candidates are therefore questioning why a different standard has been adopted specifically for the SI recruitment process. Several education experts and observers have also opined that all original applicants should have been included in the fresh recruitment process to ensure fairness and transparency.

Meanwhile, another controversy has emerged over the fate of 66 candidates against whom the Special Operations Group (SOG) has reportedly found serious evidence of irregularities during its investigation. Chairman U.R. Sahoo stated that the RPSC would deliberate before taking a final decision on whether those accused candidates would be permitted to reappear in the examination.

This uncertainty has intensified resentment among hundreds of candidates who claim to have cleared the examination honestly and had already completed their training. Candidates argue that allowing individuals accused of manipulating the recruitment process to reappear would amount to grave injustice toward those who succeeded through merit and hard work. They warn that such a move could once again cast doubts over the credibility of the entire recruitment process.

Not surprisingly, several trainee candidates selected through the SI Recruitment-2021 staged a sit-in protest at Shaheed Smarak in Jaipur on Friday. Protesters questioned why more than 750 candidates who were selected fairly should suffer because of the alleged wrongdoing of a few individuals.

During the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly elections, the issue of paper leaks became a major political weapon for the BJP against the then Congress-led government.

Prior to the SI recruitment controversy, the RPSC had already cancelled the RO-EO Recruitment-2022 and the General Knowledge paper of the Second Grade Teacher Recruitment due to cheating and paper leak allegations. Earlier, the RAS-2013 examination had also been scrapped following similar controversies.

So far, 140 people have been arrested in connection with the SI Recruitment-2021 paper leak case, including 63 trainee Sub-Inspectors.