Ranchi: Jharkhand high court Thursday stayed state govt’s decision to cancel the civil services examinations held under the 11th and 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the recruitment examination for 56 food safety officers, providing immediate relief to hundreds of candidates who had already joined service.The three recruitments were among 22 examinations cancelled by the state amid a 26-day agitation by job aspirants.Justice Deepak Roshan passed the interim order while hearing a batch of petitions filed by Avdhesh Kumar, Saurabh Singh, Sonam Kumari and others challenging the Aug 18 notification. The petitioners argued that the cancellation violated the principle of natural justice.The court stayed the operation of the notification as it affected successful candidates of the 11th and 13th JPSC exams held in 2024 for recruitment to 342 posts, including deputy superintendent of police, assistant collector, labour superintendent, assistant registrar and jail superintendent.It also stayed the cancellation of the Food Safety Officer recruitment examination, under which 56 candidates had joined service in June this year.With the interim protection, candidates selected through the affected examinations and those already appointed will continue in their positions until further orders. However, the court made it clear that if any candidate is found to have benefited from malpractice or wrongdoing during the ongoing investigations, such appointments would not enjoy protection and appropriate action, including termination of service, could follow.The court said the final fate of the appointments would depend on the outcome of the investigations and final adjudication of the case. It directed state govt to file its response and fixed Sept 15 as the next date of hearing.High Court will hear on Friday a petition challenging the cancellation of the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination 2024 conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). Candidates affected by other cancelled examinations are also preparing to approach the court seeking similar relief.On Aug 18, Hemant Soren govt cancelled 22 examinations, put six examinations on hold and ordered a CID probe into 17 past examinations.The move followed a prolonged agitation by job aspirants in Ranchi demanding cancellation of the examinations and a CBI probe into the recruitment process. The decision led to the withdrawal of the students’ protest.Reacting to Thursday’s order, JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch leader Piyush Kumar, one of those who went on hunger strike, accused govt of “misleading” protesting students.“The govt’s conduct in court raises serious questions. The advocate general was not present and there was little effort to defend the cancellation order. This reinforces our apprehension that students were misled into ending the agitation,” he alleged, adding that the order could encourage legal challenges to the cancellation of other examinations.Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi termed the episode a “well-planned conspiracy” to defuse the student movement. Alleging that govt failed to follow due legal process and did not file a caveat despite anticipating a court challenge, Marandi said, “We knew such mass cancellation of exams and recruitments would not survive judicial scrutiny. From the beginning, we have been demanding a CBI investigation into the recruitment process.”
