The Jharkhand High Court has stayed the government's cancellation notifications covering several recruitment examinations, including JSSC CGL, CDPO, JPSC 11th to 13th examinations and FSO, according to information from the court proceedings. (Photo: PTI)

Jharkhand HC pauses cancellation of 22 recruitment exams ordered by Soren govt

The Jharkhand High Court has stayed the government's 22 exam cancellation notifications covering several recruitment examinations, including JSSC CGL, CDPO, JPSC 11th to 13th examinations and FSO, according to information from the court proceedings. The order offers relief to candidates affected by the cancellations, with further proceedings expected.

by · India Today

In Short

  • Jharkhand High Court has stayed government notifications cancelling several recruitment exams
  • JSSC CGL, CDPO, JPSC 11th to 13th and FSO exams are among those covered by the development
  • =The stay comes as relief for candidates who had been affected by the exam cancellations

The Jharkhand High Court has stepped in after the Hemant Soren government cancelled 22 recruitment examinations, staying the cancellation of key recruitments including the JPSC 11th to 13th Civil Services examinations and Food Safety Officer recruitment.

The court's intervention comes amid a prolonged agitation by JPSC and JSSC aspirants over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. The government had cancelled 22 exams on August 18, while also putting six others on hold and ordering a CID probe into 17 older examinations.

The latest order offers relief to candidates whose selections and appointments were affected by the cancellations. The court has sought responses from the state government and JPSC, with the matter scheduled for further hearing on September 15.

The development is likely to be closely watched by thousands of candidates, particularly those who had already cleared the affected examinations and, in some cases, joined government service.

WHY DID JHARKHAND CANCEL 22 EXAMS?

The latest High Court intervention comes after a 26-day agitation by JPSC and JSSC aspirants in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in government recruitment examinations.

The protest had centred on demands for a transparent investigation into alleged malpractice in recruitment exams, particularly the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination and examinations conducted through outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL). The agitation began around July 29 and continued for nearly four weeks.

The protests intensified in August, with students planning a Tiranga March and a gherao of the Jharkhand Assembly on August 10. The confrontation between protesters and police that day further escalated tensions.

Meanwhile, several candidates had also been sitting on hunger strike. Three protesters, Rupesh Kumar Pal, Savita Kumari and Rahul Kranti, ended a 15-day fast on August 19 after the government announced the cancellations and other measures.

THE GOVERNMENT'S AUGUST 18 DECISION

On August 18, the Hemant Soren-led government issued a series of notifications cancelling 22 recruitment examinations.

The cancellations covered examinations advertised between 2023 and 2026. According to reports, 19 of the 22 cancellations were linked to complaints concerning examinations conducted by JPSC and outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL). Two others were cancelled because they had been partially conducted by TDPL or other controversial agencies.

Among the exams affected were JSSC CGL, JPSC 11th to 13th Civil Services, JPSC 14th Civil Services, Food Safety Officer, CDPO and several other recruitment examinations.

The government also:

  • Put six examinations on hold pending verification of the agencies involved.
  • Ordered a CID investigation into 17 older examinations, advertised between 2010 and 2022.
  • Proposed seeking a fast-track court in the Jharkhand High Court to deal with alleged JPSC/JSSC irregularities.
  • Announced an internal monitoring cell for JPSC and JSSC.
  • Set up a committee headed by IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal to examine examination reforms.

The government's move temporarily brought the student agitation to a halt. Protest leaders said they would suspend the movement for two months and gave the government that period to conduct a fair investigation.

THEN CAME THE SECOND PROTEST

But the cancellation created a new group of aggrieved candidates: those who had already cleared the exams and, in some cases, were already working in government jobs.

Candidates selected through the cancelled examinations protested because the government's decision put their appointments at risk. Reports said thousands of candidates could be affected, with estimates varying depending on whether appointed candidates and posts across the different recruitments are counted.

This is particularly important in the case of the 11th to 13th JPSC Civil Services examinations, where selected candidates had already joined government service.

HIGH COURT STEPS IN

On August 20, the Jharkhand High Court stayed the government's decision to cancel the 11th to 13th JPSC Civil Services examinations and appointments, as well as the Food Safety Officer recruitment.

The court directed that the selected candidates be reinstated, saying they could not be removed without following due process and principles of natural justice. It sought responses from the state government and JPSC and fixed September 15 for the next hearing.

- Ends