Daijiworld Media Network - Ranchi
Ranchi, Aug 20: The Jharkhand High Court has stayed the state government's order cancelling the 11th and 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations and the appointments made through them, providing relief to newly appointed officers who challenged the decision.
The order was passed while hearing petitions filed by newly appointed officers against the government's decision to cancel the examinations and their subsequent appointments.
The development comes after the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government released a list of 44 recruitment examinations conducted by the JPSC and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) that had been cancelled over alleged irregularities. The cancellations followed a 25-day student agitation demanding action over alleged irregularities in various recruitment examinations.
The state government had also announced the formation of a committee to examine and recommend reforms in the examination systems of the JPSC and JSSC.
The cancelled examinations included recruitment tests for posts such as drug inspectors, assistant professors, deputy collectors, dental doctors, assistant engineers, civil judges, additional public prosecutors and forest range officers.
The list also included examinations for lecturers in government polytechnics, senior scientific officers, assistant conservators of forests and several other administrative and technical positions.
The newly appointed officers challenged the government's decision, arguing that the examinations and appointments had been cancelled unilaterally without giving the affected candidates an opportunity to present their case.
A significant number of candidates selected through the examinations had already joined government service. The cancellation order therefore directly threatened their employment and service status.
The petitioners also relied on the principles of natural justice, arguing that any candidate found to have been involved in irregularities should be dealt with individually following a proper inquiry.
They contended that while action could be taken against candidates whose involvement in wrongdoing was established, it would be unjust to cancel the appointments of all successful candidates without conducting individual inquiries or providing them an opportunity to be heard.
The High Court's interim order staying the government's decision offers temporary relief to the affected officers while the legal challenge to the cancellation of the examinations and appointments proceeds.