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On September 4, the Supreme Court issued notice to the Central government and Staff Selection Commission (SSC) in response to a PIL filed by SSC aspirant Nikhil Kumar, alleging large-scale irregularities and technical failures in recent SSC exams after switching from Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to Eduquity Career Technologies as technical partner. The Bench of Justices PS Narasimha and Atul S Chandurkar sought clarity after the plea flagged severe issues in recent computer-based tests, including problems with uploading admit cards, centre information, biometric verification, and abrupt software failures during examinations.

The petitioner sought the constitution of an independent court-appointed committee to oversee future SSC exams, cancellation and re-conduct of flawed tests administered by Eduquity, an independent probe into contract awards, minimum standard operating procedures, and compensation for affected candidates. Highlighting that nearly 59,500 examinees suffered disruptions, the plea questioned the SSC’s adequacy in providing remedial steps—limited so far to postponements and rescheduling.

The Supreme Court also noted concerns regarding the lack of transparent implementation of recommendations by a Supreme Court-appointed committee (Singhvi Committee, 2018) which had earlier investigated similar lapses. The PIL points to ongoing student protests and large-scale grievances over technical glitches in the Selection Post/Phase XIII and Stenographer Grade ‘C’ & ‘D’ exams.

The next Supreme Court hearing will focus on the Centre’s reply and on systemic improvements sought to restore transparency and fairness in national recruitment processes.