The Jharkhand government on Saturday held a second round of talks with protesting students demanding action over alleged irregularities in state recruitment examinations and opened an email channel to receive suggestions from aspirants and other stakeholders. An eight-member delegation of the JPSC-JSSC Aspirant Nyay Manch, led by student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, met a government-appointed panel at the State Guest House in Ranchi. The students have been protesting in the city for around 15 days and have demanded the cancellation of the 14th Civil Services Preliminary Examination conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission on July 2.

The latest meeting followed discussions on Friday between an 11-member group of protesting students and government representatives. No immediate breakthrough was reported after Saturday's talks, although Jharkhand Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu said the government would continue engaging with different student groups and stakeholders. The government has also provided the email address JPSSC.feedback@gmail.com for students and other individuals to submit suggestions and concerns. Sonu said the feedback would be considered while formulating a reform policy and working towards a collective decision on the issues raised by the protesters.

The student delegation said the government had assured them that a decision would be taken quickly to address their concerns. However, the protesters maintained that their agitation would continue until their demands were fulfilled. Minister Dipika Pandey Singh also said the aspirants had presented details of the alleged discrepancies in the recruitment process during the meeting. Mahto, who has been on hunger strike for a week, said the protesters' demands remained unchanged and that the number of representatives attending negotiations would not alter their position. He maintained that the students would continue their agitation until the government took action.

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The protesters gathered at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium have put forward a wider set of demands concerning recruitment examinations conducted in the state. These include cancellation of all JSSC CGL, JSSC JE and PGT examinations held after 2019, a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities and action against those accused of involvement. They have also sought disclosure of category-wise cut-offs for UR, EWS, BC-I, BC-II, SC and ST candidates, along with OMR copies and response sheets to improve transparency. Another major demand is a recruitment calendar based on the model followed by the Union Public Service Commission and Staff Selection Commission.

Separately, the Jharkhand High Court has taken a stern view of the prolonged delay in conducting the Teachers Eligibility Test in the state. The examination has reportedly not been held for nearly nine years, prompting the court to issue a show-cause notice to Umashankar Singh, Secretary of the School Education and Literacy Department. The court has asked why contempt proceedings should not be initiated over the alleged failure to comply with its direction to conduct the examination. Singh had earlier assured the court that the TET would be held within three months, but the deadline expired without the examination being conducted, leading the court to seek a clear explanation from the department.

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