New Delhi: The Jharkhand High Court has dealt a major blow to the state government. It has stayed the cancellation of 22 out of the 39 examinations previously scrapped by the Hemant Soren-led state government. These include examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC). This news comes as a lifeline for candidates who had secured appointments through the CGL (Combined Graduate Level) examination.
The situation regarding JPSC examinations has completely changed following this court directive. The Jharkhand High Court delivered this significant verdict in cases concerning the 11th to 13th JPSC examinations and the Food Safety Officer examination. The court also decided to stay, with immediate effect, the orders issued by the state government regarding both these examinations.
Court seeks response from the state government.
While hearing the petition, the Jharkhand High Court ordered the state government to file its response, along with a counter-affidavit, within 15 days. This decision has also paved the way for the petitioners in both examination cases to be reinstated in their jobs with immediate effect.
During the hearing, the High Court stayed the state government’s order under which actions related to both examinations had been taken. The government must now appear before the court and submit documents supporting its stance; the court has granted a 15-day window for this. Meanwhile, the protest against alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations in Jharkhand, which had been ongoing for 26 days,s was temporarily called off on Wednesday.
Acceding to the protesters’ demands, the government had previously announced the cancellation of 22 recruitment examinations conducted since 2014 by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission, the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission, and an outsourced agency. Furthermore, an inquiry was ordered into 23 other examinations.
Disappointment among successful candidates
Disappointment swept through the successful candidates when the Jharkhand government decided to cancel the examinations in response to the protesters’ demands. Approximately 2,000 successful candidates, particularly those who had secured government jobs through the JSSC Combined Graduate Level examination,n took to the streets to protest the cancellation.
They are still protesting on the streets. Successful candidates maintain that they cleared the examination through hard work and merit. They argue that if any irregularities occurred at any stage of the exam, action should be taken against the specific candidates found guilty, rather than penalising all successful candidates. Many candidates have approached the Jharkhand High Court to challenge the government’s decision.
They point out that appointments were made following the exam results, and many candidates have already commenced work in various government departments. Hearing the petition filed by these individuals, the High Court has decided to completely stay the government’s decision to cancel the JPSC 11th–13th Combined Civil Services Examination and the Food Safety Officer Examination.
