Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has stayed the state government’s decision to cancel several recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), providing relief to candidates and officers who had challenged the cancellation.
High Court Stays Exam Cancellation
The order was passed by a single bench of Justice Deepak Roshan while hearing petitions filed by candidates including Saurabh Singh, Awadhesh Kumar, Deep Mala and Sonam Kumari. The petitioners were represented by advocates Inderjeet Sinha and Amritansh Vats.
The state government had earlier cancelled 39 examinations and postponed six others, citing alleged irregularities. The decision affected both recent recruitment examinations and examinations conducted earlier.
Selected Candidates Challenge Government Order
Several candidates who were selected through these examinations and had already joined government service approached the High Court challenging the government’s decision.
The High Court’s interim order has brought relief to newly appointed officers who argued that they should not be penalised for alleged irregularities committed during the recruitment process.
JSSC-CGL Cancellation Sparks Protests
The issue gained further attention after the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination, through which around 2,000 candidates had been selected and appointed to various departments of the Jharkhand government.
The appointed candidates staged a protest in Ranchi after the cancellation decision, arguing that they had successfully completed the selection process and should not lose their jobs because of alleged wrongdoing by others.
Candidates Seek Action Against Those Responsible
The protesters said they had no objection to an investigation into any irregularities. However, they maintained that action should be taken against those found responsible rather than cancelling the entire examination and affecting candidates who had already been selected and appointed.
Several selected candidates had reportedly resigned from other government and public-sector positions after receiving appointments through the Jharkhand recruitment process.
What Happens Next?
The High Court’s latest order comes as a significant development in the dispute over the government’s decision to cancel the examinations. The matter will now proceed further before the court, where the validity of the cancellation decision will be examined.
39 Cancelled Exams
The state government had cancelled 39 examinations and postponed six others over alleged irregularities.