Exams
JSSC CGL: HC rejects govt’s week extension plea, demands time-bound CID update
Justice Deepak Roshan’s bench questioned the pace of the CID investigation into JSSC-CGL recruitment irregularities and rejected the government’s request for a week’s extension to file its affidavit, ordering a response within 48 hours.
The Jharkhand High Court rejected the state government’s plea for a week’s extension to file its affidavit in the JSSC-CGL case, with Justice Deepak Roshan’s bench instead demanding a time-bound update on the CID probe.
The government told the court a sealed-cover report on the CID investigation’s progress would be submitted, but the bench raised concerns over how slowly the probe was moving.
The court ordered the state to clarify its stand and respond within 48 hours, stressing that numerous candidates’ futures are at stake and delays cannot continue.
The interim stay on 99 candidates appointed under Advertisement No. 10/2023 remains intact, with the next hearing scheduled for September 18.
The case follows the government’s August 17 cancellation of the JSSC-CGL exam and related recruitment advertisements, after weeks of student protests over alleged irregularities.
The matter also covers cancelled recruitment advertisements for the JPSC, CDPO and Food Safety Officer examinations, affecting thousands of applicants beyond the JSSC-CGL candidates.
The original cancellation was announced by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on August 17, following a 24-day student protest over alleged recruitment irregularities.
The government simultaneously scrapped all examinations conducted by blacklisted agency TSR Data Processing Private Limited, widening the fallout beyond the CGL exam alone.
The CID’s probe covers recruitment examinations dating back to 2014, making it one of the broadest irregularity investigations the state has ordered in recent years.
A separate committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal has been tasked with framing rules to prevent future examination irregularities.
A parallel Supreme Court petition filed by activist Harisharan Devgan is separately seeking to transfer the investigation from the state CID to the CBI.
Successful JSSC-CGL candidates who had already secured appointments have previously staged protests, including a human chain and torchlight demonstrations, after the cancellation was announced.
Tuesday’s hearing was the latest in a series of court dates in the case since the cancellation, with the matter now set to return on September 18.
High Court of Jharkhand, Ranchi, Wikimedia Commons, CC0