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Stays State’s Cancellation of JPSC Exams, Cites Violation
The on Thursday delivered a significant to thousands of successful candidates by staying the state government’s notification that cancelled appointments made through the 11th to 13th Combined Civil Services Examinations and the Food Safety Officer recruitment. Justice Deepak Roshan, presiding over a batch of petitions, observed that the cancellation violated the principles of , as affected candidates were not heard before the drastic decision was taken. The court directed the state government to file its reply by , the next date of hearing, and ordered that the selected candidates continue to hold their offices pending further orders.
Background of the Controversy
The crisis erupted after student protests against alleged irregularities in the 14th JPSC preliminary examination, held in . The controversy snowballed when an OMR sheet of a candidate with apparently qualifying marks below the cut-off went viral on social media, raising questions about the fairness of the evaluation process. In response, the Jharkhand government handed the matter to the , which formed a . The probe widened, leading to the arrest of former JPSC chairperson L. Khiangte and the marketing manager of the testing agency , which had been blacklisted earlier by both the Uttar Pradesh government and the .
What began as a focused agitation over the 14th JPSC exam soon expanded. Student leaders demanded a investigation and cancellation of multiple recruitment processes, including the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination, which had already resulted in 1,932 appointments. After 26 days of protests, the Hemant Soren-led government on issued a sweeping order cancelling 22 recruitment examinations and processes, suspending six others, and referring 17 older recruitments for CID investigation. The decision affected nearly 45 recruitment processes across the state, from civil servants and judges to engineers and forest officers. However, it was the cancellation of the 11th-13th JPSC exams and the Food Safety Officer recruitment—where appointments had already been made—that triggered an immediate legal challenge.
Court’s Reasoning
The High Court’s interim order was grounded in the well-established tenet of —the right to be heard. The petitioners, represented by advocate , argued that the government had cancelled the examinations without any concrete evidence or investigation specific to those exams. They contended that the candidates had cleared all stages of selection, undergone training, and in many cases were already performing official duties, including serving as magistrates during the Shravani Mela. The court agreed that the cancellation without prior notice or opportunity to show cause could not be sustained in law.
Justice Deepak Roshan clarified that while the court was staying the operation of the notifications, if any individual candidate is found to have been appointed through fraudulent means during the ongoing investigation, such candidate would face consequences and lose their service. This struck a balance between protecting appointees and allowing the state to pursue malpractices.
Reactions and Political Fallout
The High Court’s stay was met with sharp criticism from student leaders, who had called off their agitation only a day earlier after the government announced the cancellations. Kunal Pratap Singh, a prominent voice in the
Reform Manch
, alleged that the government had deceived the students.
"The advocate general did not appear before the court. The lawyer present did not say even one word. This clearly shows that this was a trap—a trap to end the protest, ruin 26 days of our hard work and play with the emotions of the students of Jharkhand,"
he said.
Another student leader, Ravindra Paswan, declared that a "new fight" would now begin.
"With whatever we saw in the court today, it became clear that the government deceived the lakhs of students in Jharkhand. It was fine until you were not cancelling the exam, until you were not agreeing to a
investigation. But after this deceit with students, a new fight takes birth,"
he added.
The opposition welcomed the government’s earlier decision to cancel exams but demanded a probe, questioning the credibility of the CID investigation. In a letter to Chief Minister Hemant Soren, the argued that some CID officials themselves faced allegations in the CGL case, raising doubts about the independence of the probe.
Legal Implications
The High Court’s reliance on the principle of sends a strong signal that executive actions affecting the rights of individuals cannot be taken arbitrarily, even in the face of widespread public outcry. The government’s blanket cancellation of multiple recruitments—many of which had reached advanced stages—was an extraordinary measure that required procedural safeguards. The court’s observation that the affected candidates were not given an opportunity to respond before the cancellations were announced underscores a fundamental flaw in the government’s approach.
From a service law perspective, the case raises important questions about the rights of candidates who have already been appointed. A government order cancelling an entire examination process retroactively, without evidence of systemic fraud in that particular exam, could be challenged as disproportionate. The court has effectively paused the government’s action until it examines the merits, and the state will now have to justify why the cancellations were necessary even for those exams where no specific irregularities have been established.
What Next?
The state government is expected to file a detailed reply by . Meanwhile, the CID investigation into the 17 older recruitments and the ongoing probe into the JPSC and exams will continue. The government has also announced the formation of a committee under IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal to recommend examination reforms. Additionally, it has decided to request the High Court to set up fast-track courts to hear cases related to recruitment irregularities.
For the thousands of candidates who have been caught in the legal crossfire, the stay offers a reprieve, but the uncertainty remains. The court has allowed them to continue in service, but the final outcome will depend on the evidence that emerges. As the legal battle unfolds, the case will likely become a touchstone for how state governments balance the need to address public grievances over recruitment malpractices with the procedural rights of individual candidates.
The ’s interim order is a clear reminder that even in the midst of a political and administrative storm, the and must prevail. The hearing will be closely watched by legal professionals and aspirants alike, as it may set a precedent for similar recruitment disputes across the country.
