Big Setback For Hemant Soren Government: Jharkhand High Court Stays Cancellation Of JPSC, JSSC Exams

Jharkhand: In a major setback to the Hemant Soren government, the Jharkhand High Court on Thursday stayed the state government's decision to cancel several recruitment examinations and appointments amid allegations of irregularities. The order came after candidates who had cleared the examinations and were already serving in government posts challenged the cancellation in court. 

Justice Deepak Roshan, hearing the petitions, passed the order after considering pleas filed by successful candidates from examinations including the 11th-13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Combined Civil Services Examination, JSSC-CGL and the Food Safety Officer examination.

The petitioners were represented by advocates Inderjeet Sinha and Amritansh Vats. 

Why Did the Government Cancel the Exams?

The state government had taken the decision following a 25-day agitation by students over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. The government said the cancellations were based on complaints concerning examinations conducted by the JPSC and executed through TDPL, as well as information that emerged during a CID investigation.

At a marathon Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the government announced the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination and all examinations conducted by outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL) since 2014. It also decided to cancel the results published by the agency.

"The government has decided to cancel the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) exam, which was one of the major demands of the protesting students. We have also decided to cancel all tests conducted by outsourced agency TDPL (TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd) and the results published by it," Soren said after the Cabinet meeting.

The government has also formed an examination reforms committee, led by senior IAS official Amitabh Kaushal, to investigate necessary modifications to the JPSC and JSSC examination systems. 

The cancelation decision impacted a variety of recruiting exams, including those for drug inspectors, assistant professors, deputy collectors, dental physicians, assistant engineers, civil judges, additional public prosecutors, and forest range officers. Examinations for government polytechnic lecturers, senior scientific officers, assistant forest conservators, and a number of other administrative and technical jobs were also disrupted.

The state has already canceled 39 examinations and postponed six due to alleged irregularities, which included both recent recruitment processes and examinations conducted in previous years.

Candidates Say Jobs Cannot Be Cancelled Without a Hearing

The legal challenge was filed by four sets of petitioners, including candidates who had effectively cleared the examinations and, in several cases, had already joined government service.

The petitioners argued that the government could not cancel all examinations and positions without first giving the affected candidates an opportunity to clarify their case. They used the idea of natural justice, stating that any candidate found to have committed misconduct should face action following an individual investigation, rather than all successful candidates being punished together.

Avadhesh Kumar, Deepmala, Sonam Kumari, and Saurabh Singh, as well as other successful candidates, have moved the court. The candidates have maintained that they took the exams following the prescribed procedure, passed the selection stages, were placed on the merit lists, and were then assigned to government positions.

For individuals who were already employed, the government's decision risked their jobs. The petitioners therefore sought protection against the cancellation of their appointments without an individual determination of misconduct.

JSSC-CGL Result Also Under Question

The JSSC-CGL petitioners have highlighted an additional complaint about how the results were declared. They questioned how the government could cancel the entire examination after the results had been published in accordance with previous High Court orders.

The High Court's interim judgment has now granted temporary relief to the affected candidates, particularly those who had already entered government service after successfully completing the recruitment procedure.

The government's broader intention to reform the testing system remains tied to the claims that sparked student protests. The latest court order, however, puts the cancellation of the challenged examinations and appointments under judicial scrutiny.