PATNA: The Patna High Court on Tuesday sought the Defence Ministry’s response on how candidates had been asked to appear for an Army recruitment exam in Muzaffarpur clad only in their underwear. The HC has asked the ministry to respond by April 5.
The incident took place on Sunday when 1,150 candidates, appearing for exams were asked to strip down to their underwear on an open ground to prevent cheating. Defending the ‘bare body’ recruitment test, Director, (Recruitment) at the Army Regional Office in Muzaffarpur, Col V S Godra, said it was a preventive measure against cheating.
When photographs related to the examination went viral on social media, a Patna High Court advocate Deenu Kumar filed a PIL on Monday. When the matter came up for hearing on Tuesday, Acting Chief Justice Iqbal Ahmad Ansari and Justice Chakradhari Saran Singh ordered the Ministry of Defence to reply by April 5.
In the last year, a picture showing parents and friends of students climbing the walls of a multi-storey school building in Bihar to pass answer notes to students went viral drawing global attention. Taking serious note of the incident, the Army HQ has issued directives to ensure that examinations are conducted in a fair manner.