Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into a case where students were denied permission to appear for examinations despite being admitted to an AICTE-approved technical institute in Dhanbad.
The direction came while the court was hearing a writ petition filed by the principal of Dhanbad Institute of Technology. The bench made sharp observations on the conduct of the Jharkhand University of Technology (JUT) and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), stating that the matter appeared far more serious than a routine administrative lapse. The matter will be taken up for further hearing on February 3.
AICTE Approval, Exams Denied
During the hearing, the Registrar of JUT appeared before the court. After examining the records, the bench noted that AICTE had approved the institute to admit students for the 2025–26 academic session on April 30, 2025. Acting on this approval, the institute enrolled students. However, JUT later refused to allow these students to sit for their examinations.
Drawing a strong analogy, the court compared the situation to traffic authorities removing “No Entry” or “No Parking” signs to trap unsuspecting citizens, observing that a similar approach appeared to have been adopted in this case.
‘Serious Manipulation of Students’ Futures’
The High Court observed that the issue prima facie involved serious manipulation affecting students’ careers and could point to grave and corrupt practices by state agencies. Given the gravity of the allegations, the court impleaded the CBI through the Union of India as a respondent and ordered a detailed investigation.
The CBI has been tasked with probing the process through which AICTE and JUT denied students the opportunity to appear for examinations after their lawful admission, and to fix the responsibility of the officials involved.
Report Sought in Two Weeks
Assistant Solicitor General Prashant Pallav accepted notice on behalf of the CBI. The court directed the agency to submit its investigation report in a sealed cover within two weeks and instructed both JUT and AICTE to extend full cooperation.
