Exams
JSSC CGL: Jharkhand HC rejects govt’s four-week request
The Jharkhand High Court has rejected the state government’s request for four weeks to respond in the JSSC-CGL cancellation case, ordering a sealed-envelope status report instead, with the next hearing on September 18.
The Jharkhand High Court rejected the state government’s request for four weeks to respond in the JSSC-CGL cancellation case.
Instead, the court granted only two additional days and ordered a sealed-envelope status report, keeping its interim stay on cancelled appointments in place.
The stay covers appointments under Advertisement No. 10/2023, benefiting 99 candidates, in a case filed by Akash Gaurav and 98 others.
The matter also spans cancelled recruitment advertisements for the JPSC, JSSC CGL-2023, CDPO and Food Safety Officer exams, with the next hearing set for September 18 at 10:30 am.
The cancellations followed CM Hemant Soren’s August 17 announcement after a 24-day student protest, alongside a separate Supreme Court plea seeking a CBI probe.
The case also covers cancelled recruitment advertisements for the JPSC, JSSC CGL-2023, CDPO and Food Safety Officer examinations, affecting thousands of applicants.
The cancellations trace back to an August 17 announcement by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, made after a 24-day student protest over alleged recruitment irregularities.
The government simultaneously scrapped all examinations conducted by blacklisted agency TSR Data Processing Private Limited and ordered a CID probe into recruitment exams dating back to 2014.
A separate committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal has been tasked with framing rules to prevent future examination irregularities.
In parallel, a Supreme Court petition filed by activist Harisharan Devgan is separately seeking to transfer the recruitment-irregularities investigation from the state CID to the CBI.
Successful JSSC-CGL candidates who had already secured appointments staged protests, including a human chain and torchlight demonstrations, after the cancellation was first announced.
The Jharkhand High Court’s stay applies to appointments made under Advertisement No. 10/2023, granting temporary relief to 99 candidates who had already been appointed.
The stay order was originally issued on September 8, with the interim protection for the appointed candidates remaining in effect since.
High Court of Jharkhand, Ranchi, Wikimedia Commons, CC0