Jharkhand High Court Quashes State Government’s Decision to Cancel JSSC CGL Exam, Relief for Successful Candidates

The Jharkhand High Court on Friday quashed the state government’s decision to cancel the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC CGL) examination, bringing significant relief to thousands of candidates who had successfully cleared the recruitment test. The court set aside the cancellation notification issued by the Hemant Soren-led government on August 18, which had annulled the examination and appointments made through the recruitment process.

Justice Deepak Roshan, while delivering the verdict on petitions filed by successful candidates, described the government’s decision as “unfair and unjust”. The petitions challenged the state’s decision to scrap the entire recruitment process over allegations of widespread irregularities and question paper leaks. The candidates argued that they had cleared the examination through merit and should not be penalised for alleged wrongdoing by a few individuals.

The state government had cancelled the 2024 JSSC CGL examination following allegations of large-scale malpractice in several recruitment examinations. The decision came amid sustained protests by job aspirants demanding action against alleged irregularities in government recruitment tests. The government maintained that the cancellation was necessary to protect the integrity of the recruitment system after findings from a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigation raised concerns about the examination process.

However, the successful candidates approached the High Court, arguing that the government had cancelled their appointments without giving them an opportunity to present their case. They maintained that allegations against certain candidates could not justify scrapping the entire examination and depriving deserving applicants of government employment.

The court found that cancelling the complete recruitment process before the investigation had reached its conclusion was not justified. It indicated that candidates suspected of involvement in malpractice could be identified through the ongoing investigation and dealt with individually in accordance with the law. The court also emphasised that allegations against some individuals could not automatically establish wrongdoing across the entire pool of successful candidates.

The ruling is part of a wider legal and political dispute over government recruitment examinations in Jharkhand. On August 18, the state government had announced the cancellation of 22 examinations conducted since 2014 by the JPSC, JSSC and an outsourced agency, while ordering investigations into several others. The decision followed weeks of protests by job aspirants over alleged corruption and irregularities in recruitment procedures.

Despite quashing the cancellation order, the High Court has allowed the CID investigation into alleged JSSC CGL examination irregularities to continue. Candidates found guilty of malpractice may face appropriate legal action. The verdict therefore provides relief to candidates who secured appointments through the examination while keeping the investigation into alleged recruitment fraud open.