THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK
Ranchi, January 22: The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday stayed the CBI investigation into the alleged irregular admission of students at Dhanbad Institute of Technology (DIT) until further orders.
A division bench comprising Chief Justice M.S. Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar passed the order while hearing an appeal (LPA) filed by the state government and Jharkhand University of Technology (JUT). The matter will be heard next on January 29.
CBI Says Preliminary Inquiry Registered
During the hearing, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) informed the court that a preliminary inquiry (PE) had already been registered in compliance with the High Court’s earlier order.
Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan told the bench that DIT was granted permission to admit only 60 students on September 9, 2025, but the institute admitted 138 students.
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State Challenges January 13 Order
The court was informed that despite exceeding the approved intake, the institute filed a writ petition in the High Court. The petition was heard on January 12 and 13.
On January 13, the High Court ordered a CBI probe into the matter. Challenging this order, the state government and JUT filed the present appeal, leading to the stay on the investigation.
Single Judge Had Made Strong Observations
Earlier, Justice Rajesh Kumar of the Jharkhand High Court had ordered a CBI investigation into allegations that DIT engineering students were allowed admission but later barred from appearing in examinations.
Making sharp observations, the court noted that, prima facie, students appeared to have been “trapped” and their future jeopardised. The court likened the situation to traffic authorities removing ‘No Entry’ signs to trap commuters.
The court also observed that the matter indicated possible corrupt practices and directed the CBI to investigate the role of JUT and the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), including the responsibility of individual officers and institutions.
DIT Cited AICTE Approval
DIT had argued before the single-judge bench that AICTE approved on April 30, 2025, for admissions for the academic session 2025–26. Based on this approval, the institute admitted students.
However, despite the approval, students were allegedly prevented from appearing in examinations, prompting the institute to move the High Court.
The single-judge bench had directed the CBI to submit its report in a sealed cover and ordered JUT and AICTE to fully cooperate with the investigation.
