PTI
Ranchi
Successful candidates of recruitment exams cancelled by the Jharkhand government staged a demonstration outside the state secretariat on Thursday, demanding restoration of their appointments, even as the Jharkhand High Court granted interim relief in some cases.
The High Court stayed notifications cancelling appointments made through the 11th and 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations and those of Food Safety Officers. The interim order, however, does not cover all 22 exams cancelled by the state government, leaving candidates selected through several other tests uncertain about their appointments.
The government on August 18 cancelled 22 recruitment examinations and ordered probe into 23 others conducted since 2014 by the JPSC, Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and outsourced agency TDPL, amid a prolonged student agitation over alleged irregularities.
Around 2,700 successful candidates, including those selected through the JSSC Combined Graduate Level examination, have been protesting the cancellations.
They contend that candidates selected on merit should not lose their jobs because of alleged irregularities and have approached the High Court seeking relief.
Meanwhile, the CID’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) issued notices and interrogated 37 suspects in connection with the alleged irregularities in Graduate Level Combined Competitive Examination-2023 conducted by the JSSC on Thursday.
Investigation into other aspects of the cases is underway, CID said.
“We are not opposed to an investigation, but action should be taken against those found guilty. Candidates selected on merit should not be punished,” Aniket Dwivedi, posted as Food Safety Officer in Simdega, said. He said he had resigned from his post as Agriculture Development Officer with the Haryana government to join service in his native state.
Chandan Kumar Sahu, a Food Safety Officer, who lost his job following the cancellation, said no complaints regarding irregularities had been received in the examination. “We were thrown out. This is not justice,” he said.
Anjali Nibha Minz said, “We cleared the examination based on our merit. We have no involvement in any irregularities.”
The High Court, while hearing petitions against the government notifications, directed the state to file its response by September 15.
Justice Deepak Roshan said the affected employees could continue in their respective posts for now, while making it clear that candidates found involved in malpractice during the investigation would face consequences, including loss of service.
The order brought relief to 54 Food Safety Officers, who welcomed the decision outside the Secretariat and said they would resume duty from Friday.
“We will join duty from tomorrow. Injustice will not be tolerated,” said Rohit Kumar, Food Safety Officer, Garhwa.
The candidates said several successful aspirants had already joined departments including Finance, Home, Road Transport, Labour and Information and Public Relations, while some had been deputed as magistrates during the Sharavani Mela in Deoghar.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former chief minister Champai Soren blamed the state government for the current mess.
“If there had been even a shred of seriousness in the government regarding this matter, it would have ordered a CBI probe. Jharkhand has been a state for 26 years now, and this so-called ‘abua (own)’ government has been in power for seven years, but alas, even today, a transparent recruitment process hasn’t been established here,” he said.
Meanwhile, the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch questioned the state government’s intent, alleging that neither the Advocate General nor any senior advocate was present in the High Court to contest the stay order.
The outfit announced that it would burn effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren in all 24 districts on Friday.
The protest comes after students suspended their 25-day agitation on Wednesday, giving the state government two months ultimatum to resolve their demands.
