Ranchi: The Jharkhand high court on Thursday verbally observed that the post of chairman of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) cannot be left vacant.Hearing a petition for filling up empty posts in the forest department, a division bench of Chief Justice MS Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar observed that the post of chairman of the JPSC is a constitutional post which cannot be left vacant for long.The post of the JPSC chairman has been lying vacant since the resignation of former chairman L. Khiangte on July 21, 2026, in the wake of ongoing CID probe into the alleged irregularities in the 14th civil service exams.The bench also directed the advocate general to take specific instructions from the govt with regards to immediate appointment of the JPSC chairman and inform the court about the timeframe within which the chairman will be appointed.Meanwhile, JPSC counsel Sanjay Kumar Piprawal informed the court that the process for appointment of ranger and assistant conservator of forest in the forest department has been initiated. The preliminary test of the candidates will be conducted after which those selected will appear for the main exam examinations, he added.The recruitment process of candidates is stalled due to the vacancy in the post of JPSC chairman. The administrative work of the Commission is grossly affected due to absence of its chairman, the bench observed.The court also directed the JPSC to give a status report on the appointment process of vacant posts in the forest department.The court had initiated the petition suo moto due to severe shortage of manpower in the forest department for which conservation of forest and other administrative work of the department were suffering seriously.The cases would next be heard on August 20.
