The Jharkhand High Court pressed the state government on Tuesday for a time-bound update on its CID investigation into the JSSC-CGL recruitment irregularities, with Justice Deepak Roshan’s bench voicing concern over the probe’s pace.
The government informed the court that a sealed-cover report on the CID investigation’s progress would follow, though the bench turned down its separate plea for a week’s extension to file an affidavit on the probe’s status.
Instead, the court ordered the government to clarify its position and respond within 48 hours, noting that the case affects numerous candidates’ futures and cannot be allowed to drag on.
The interim stay protecting 99 candidates appointed under Advertisement No. 10/2023 continues to hold, with the next hearing fixed for September 18.
The case traces back to the government’s August 17 cancellation of the JSSC-CGL exam and related recruitment advertisements, triggered by a prolonged student protest over alleged irregularities.
The court’s interim stay protects 99 candidates appointed under Advertisement No. 10/2023, in a case filed by petitioner Akash Gaurav and 98 others.
The petitioners are represented by senior counsel and former Advocate General Rajeev Ranjan, along with advocate Shreya Mishra.
Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora is representing the Jharkhand government in the case.
The matter also covers cancelled recruitment advertisements for the JPSC, CDPO and Food Safety Officer examinations, affecting thousands of applicants beyond the JSSC-CGL candidates.
The original cancellation was announced by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on August 17, following a 24-day student protest over alleged recruitment irregularities.
The government simultaneously scrapped all examinations conducted by blacklisted agency TSR Data Processing Private Limited, widening the fallout beyond the CGL exam alone.
The CID’s probe covers recruitment examinations dating back to 2014, making it one of the broadest irregularity investigations the state has ordered in recent years.
A separate committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal has been tasked with framing rules to prevent future examination irregularities.
High Court of Jharkhand, Ranchi, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
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