The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday stayed the state government’s order that cancelled dozens of recruitment examinations and appointment processes. The cancelled recruitments had been conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
The judicial order delivers major relief to thousands of selected candidates, including several hundred newly appointed employees. Many of these employees were already serving across state government departments.
Appointed Candidates Challenge Blanket Cancellation
The court issued its interim stay after successful candidates from the JPSC 11th–13th Civil Services examination, Food Safety Officer recruitment, and JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) tests filed urgent writ petitions.
The petitioners argued that the state administration issued a blanket cancellation order without conducting a fair segregation. There had been no distinction made between untainted candidates and those accused of malpractice.
They contended that cancelling finalized recruitment processes violated constitutional principles of natural justice. In addition, it threatened the livelihoods of genuine candidates who cleared transparent multi-stage evaluations.
Protests and Previous State Government Decision
The state government had announced the mass cancellation of 44 recruitment examinations earlier this week. This action came after intense street protests and hunger strikes led by aspirant groups demanding probes into outsourced testing agencies.
While the state intended the cancellations to address youth grievances over alleged irregularities and paper leaks, the move sparked counter-protests from successful candidates. These candidates staged demonstrations outside the state secretariat in Ranchi.
Curated news reports, in-depth analysis, and special features by India’s Opinion editorial team.
