In a striking exchange of words, the Bihar Public Service Commission (BPSC) took strong exception to the Bihar Education Department’s inquiry into its decision to verify the documents submitted by all candidates applying for the teacher recruitment examination. The BPSC firmly stated that it was not within the purview of department officials to question or interfere in the internal processes of the state’s public service recruitment body.
Moreover, the BPSC countered the Education Department’s doubts about the assignment of its department officials and teachers for the document verification process. It emphasized that this decision had been made by the Bihar government, not the commission.
In a letter addressed to the secondary education department, BPSC Secretary Ravi Bhushan expressed, “If it is not clear to you, study the relevant articles of the Constitution. It should be clear that raising a question mark on the propriety of any internal process of the commission or attempting to exert pressure is unconstitutional, unwarranted, and unacceptable. It is surprising how the department, despite being aware, expects the commission to make recommendations (to select candidates) without document verification.”
BPSC further emphasized that “without verification, the commission can neither make any recommendation nor send any dossier.” The commission asserted that the deployment of officers from various departments was under the prerogative of the government, and any objections or requests should be directed to the state government.
BPSC Chairman Atul Prasad also indirectly alluded to criticism from the education department in a social media post. He stated, “The government deputes its officers and makes changes later. It doesn’t concern us at all. But on this pretext, individuals attempting to derail our teachers’ recruitment document verification should try harder.”
It is noteworthy that Bihar Chief Secretary Amit Subhani issued instructions to halt the deployment of education department officials for document verification related to teachers’ recruitment by BPSC.
BPSC’s response came after the secondary education department’s communication earlier this week, urging the commission to release all department officials and teachers designated for document verification. The department argued that the engagement of education department officials and teachers was neither acceptable nor in the interest of education. According to the department, as per the rules, document verification should precede the issuance of appointment letters. Therefore, deploying officials and teachers for document verification in all districts, contrary to the rules, without recommending successful candidates, was illogical.
BPSC, in response, clarified that document verification occurred in two phases: one at the commission’s level before recommendations and another at the recruitment agency’s level when candidates joined. Both phases were deemed relevant and complementary.
With the recent teacher recruitment examination, BPSC examined over 170,000 candidates and initiated a massive document verification process across all districts, involving education department officials.
