Protesters Weigh Next Move After Jharkhand Govt Cancels 44 Exams, Seek Clarity on Judicial Probe

Ranchi: Even as the Jharkhand government's notification cancelling 44 recruitment exams brought relief to protesters, uncertainty over the proposed judicial inquiry has left the agitating students' leaders withholding a final call over the continuation of the protest. The protesters' core committee is set to meet today to decide whether the protest will continue on its 26th day on Wednesday.

The government said the cancelled exams included those conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL) since 2014. After the notification, student leader Ravindra Paswan said the details of the judicial inquiry promised by the government were still unclear, and that the core committee would take up the matter before announcing its decision.

"Today marks the 26th day of our protest, and yesterday, the government issued a notification regarding the cancellation of the exam. We have reviewed it, and our core committee is scheduled to meet at 10 AM today. We will announce our future course of action after that meeting. The details regarding the judicial inquiry mentioned in the government's notification are not entirely clear, but we will discuss them during today's core committee meeting," Paswan told ANI.

"The plan regarding the government-proposed judicial inquiry is for it to be headed by a retired High Court judge. The government has accepted all our demands concerning the cancellation of the exam. If the government is unable to hand the case over to the CBI, we demand that the inquiry be conducted under the supervision of a sitting judge. Our meeting today focuses specifically on this issue. We will announce whatever decision is reached through a press conference," he added.

Another student leader, Piyush Kumar, said the notification, though welcome, has not ended the protest, with the core team meeting to decide whether to call off the agitation. "Today marks our 26th day here... The official notification was issued late last night. This is a welcome move. Our core team will meet today, after which we will announce our future strategy. Whatever decision is taken will be determined by our committee... The main decision to be made today is whether or not to continue the protest," Kumar said.

This statement follows the Jharkhand government issuing a list of 44 recruitment examinations conducted by JPSC and JSSC that have been cancelled after complaints of irregularities and CID/SIT investigations into the matter. The government announced several measures to address irregularities in recruitment examinations.

"A request will be made to the High Court to constitute a Fast Track Court to hear cases registered regarding irregularities and misconduct in JPSC/JSSC examinations," the government said. It further said, "An Internal Monitoring Cell will be constituted within the JPSC and JSSC."

"The government also announced the formation of a committee to examine reforms in the JPSC and JSSC examination system."A committee will be constituted under the chairmanship of Amitabh Kaushal, IAS, to conduct a comprehensive study on examination reforms within the JPSC and JSSC," it said.

The committee will include other officials and the director of a reputed institution and will submit its report to the government within two months. The cancelled examinations include recruitment tests for drug inspectors, assistant professors, deputy collectors, dental doctors, assistant engineers, civil judges, additional public prosecutors and forest range officers, among others.

Meanwhile, the Jharkhand CID on Tuesday arrested the wife and brother of Abhay Tiwari, a suspected key figure in the recruitment examination irregularities. Earlier on Monday, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced that the state government had decided to cancel all activities associated with TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL), including the examinations conducted, the results published and the candidates selected, and the state Cabinet also decided to cancel the JSSC-CGL examinations.

Addressing the media at Jaipal Singh Stadium, Soren also ordered a comprehensive inquiry into alleged irregularities in examinations conducted from 2014 to the present. Aspirants became emotional and celebrated at Jaipal Singh Stadium after the Jharkhand government accepted their demands.

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