Jharkhand Students Question Government After Court Stays Decision To Cancel Examination

Student leaders in Jharkhand on Thursday accused the state government of “deceiving” job aspirants after the Jharkhand High Court stayed the operation of notifications cancelling appointments made through the 11th and 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations. The development came after thousands of aspirants had suspended a 26-day protest in Ranchi following the government’s decision to cancel 22 recruitment examinations. Student leaders said the court’s intervention had raised serious questions about the government’s handling of the recruitment issue and its decision to cancel the appointments.

The students were protesting under the banner of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium. The agitation continued for 26 days before being suspended for two months after the state government announced its decision to cancel 22 recruitment examinations. Student leaders said they had accepted the government’s move believing that it was intended to address alleged irregularities in the recruitment process. They now claim that the decision was part of an effort to bring the prolonged protest to an end.

Manch leader Kunal Pratap Singh alleged that the government had failed to effectively defend its position before the high court during Thursday’s proceedings. He claimed that neither the advocate general nor any senior advocate appeared to defend the government’s decision to cancel the recruitment examinations. Singh further alleged that the lawyers who were present before the court did not make arguments supporting the state’s position. He described the sequence of events as a “trap” that was allegedly intended to end the students’ protest.

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Another Manch leader, Ravindra Paswan, said the aspirants had trusted the government when it announced the cancellation of the examinations. According to him, students believed the move was aimed at addressing irregularities in the recruitment system and ensuring a fair process for job seekers. Paswan said the students now felt that their trust had been misplaced and accused the government of deceiving thousands of aspirants. The student organisation has announced plans to burn effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren across all 24 districts of Jharkhand on Friday as part of its next phase of protest.

The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday stayed the operation of notifications cancelling appointments of government employees selected through the 11th and 13th JPSC examinations. The court also stayed the operation of an order cancelling appointments of food safety officers. The orders were issued while the court was hearing a batch of petitions challenging the government notifications. The court’s intervention means the cancellation measures covered by the petitions will remain stayed while the legal challenge is considered.

Justice Deepak Roshan directed the state government to furnish its response by September 15, when the matter is scheduled to come up for further hearing. The court’s order provides the state with an opportunity to explain the basis for the cancellation decisions and respond to the petitions challenging them. The dispute is now set to continue through the legal process, while student groups are preparing to resume demonstrations and intensify their campaign against the government’s recruitment decisions.

The controversy has placed the future of appointments made through the affected examinations at the centre of a wider dispute between job aspirants and the Jharkhand government. The students are demanding clarity and accountability over the cancellation of recruitment examinations, while the government’s position will be examined by the high court during the ongoing proceedings. With the next hearing scheduled for September 15, both the legal challenge and the students’ planned protests are expected to keep the recruitment issue in focus across the state.

Also Read: Hemant Soren Assures Job Aspirants Of Action, Says Decision Will Come At Right Time