The petition? For a CBI probe into Jharkhand’s 2025 civil services prelims. Not because results are wrong; but because nobody knows if they’re clean. The activist behind it isn’t asking to cancel the exam, but to scrub every step: from how question papers were printed, stored, and distributed, to how OMR sheets were scanned and scored. Even server logs and CCTV footage are on the list. Why? Because if the system can’t prove its own integrity, can we still call it fair? The hearing on August 24 isn’t just about one state. It’s a test for every public exam from UPSC to state PSCs; where millions pin their dreams. If the SC agrees, we might just see a new gold standard for transparency. Or, we might learn how fragile our ‘merit’ really is.