By Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora argued for the state, according to Prabhat Khabar and Patrika.
The petitioners were represented by lawyers including senior advocates Patwalia and Rajiv Ranjan, according to Aaj Tak.
Advocate Kumar Harsh appeared for an intervenor, according to Aaj Tak.
Justice Deepak Roshan heard the case.
The verdict was reserved on October 8.
Arora read out the state’s counter-affidavit and said that the cancellation was based on facts that emerged during an inquiry.
The CID investigation into the exam process is still going on, the state told the court.
On October 7, the state said that more than 28 people had been arrested, according to ETV Bharat.
The state also submitted a sealed report to the court on October 7.
It argued that, because the probe is ongoing, it is not possible to say which candidates were involved and which are innocent.
The state has described the examination system as suffering from systemic failure, and the court said it cannot ignore that aspect, according to ETV Bharat.
The petitioners argued that there is no proof that the paper leaked from an examination centre.
They said probable questions were given to 28 candidates in Nepal, of whom 10 were selected, and that the High Court’s order withholding those 10 results was upheld by the Supreme Court.
They said the SIT has been investigating for over two years without filing a chargesheet, according to ETV Bharat.
They argued that cancelling the entire exam without separating guilty and innocent candidates is improper.
On October 7, the court expressed concern for about 2,700 successful candidates and said that candidates selected on merit must receive justice.
The court also asked why the investigation had not been completed in three years, according to The Daily Jagran.
Aaj Tak reported that the court observed that the investigation report so far does not contain solid evidence that the paper leaked before the exam.
Jharkhand High Court, Ranchi (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
