PATNA: The Jan Suraaj Party, founded by political strategist-turned-activist Prashant Kishor, has moved the Patna High Court seeking the cancellation of the 70th Combined (Preliminary) Competitive Examination conducted by the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) on December 13.
The party’s legal counsel, Pranav Kumar, said on Friday that the petition has been admitted by the High Court and will be heard on January 15, following the court's winter vacation. "The case was mentioned today, and the single-judge bench of Justice Arvind Singh Chandel has scheduled the matter for hearing on January 15," Kumar said.
The petition alleges gross irregularities in the conduct of the examination and seeks its cancellation. It also requests the court to direct the BPSC to withhold the declaration of results until a retest is conducted.
Meanwhile, Prashant Kishor, who has been on an indefinite hunger strike since January 2, remains admitted to the Jay Prabha Medanta Super Speciality Hospital in Kankarbagh, Patna. He has been moved from the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) to a private ward but continues his protest. Kishor was earlier arrested for violating district administration orders but was released on bail.
A delegation of BPSC candidates and Jan Suraaj Party leaders recently met Bihar Chief Secretary Amrit Lal Meena, urging Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's immediate intervention in the matter.
In a related development, Independent MP from Purnea, Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, has called for a state-wide bandh on January 12 in support of the aggrieved BPSC candidates. The Bihar Police Headquarters has directed senior officers to take precautionary measures in light of the bandh call.