Exam Gone, Jobs Too? JSSC-CGL Appointees Challenge Jharkhand’s Cancellation

A tense standoff erupted at the Jharkhand Secretariat on Wednesday as candidates appointed through the now-cancelled JSSC-CGL examination and other recruitment tests breached barricades and entered the Project Bhawan campus, opening a fresh front in the state's widening recruitment crisis.

The confrontation came amid the government's sweeping action against recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL). The government has taken action against 44 recruitment examinations/processes, with reports indicating that 22 were cancelled, six put on hold and 17 older examinations sent for CID scrutiny.

The decision has left around 2,000 already-appointed JSSC-CGL candidates facing uncertainty over their jobs. The affected candidates maintain that they cleared the examination on merit and had no involvement in the alleged irregularities. Their demand is therefore different from that of the student protesters who had sought cancellation of disputed examinations and a CBI probe.

On Wednesday, protesters broke through barricades and entered Project Bhawan, raising slogans including “Insaaf do ya phansi” despite prohibitory orders under Section 163. Hundreds continued protesting through heavy rain. Hatia DSP Neeraj Kumar appealed to them to move outside the campus and warned of legal action.

The controversy could now shift to the courts, with candidates potentially challenging whether a blanket cancellation can invalidate appointments without establishing individual wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch suspended its 26-day agitation for two months and gave the government an ultimatum to resolve its demands. Three protesters ended their hunger strike, while JLKM leader Devendra Nath Mahto has indicated a second phase of the movement if assurances are not implemented.

The government is also pursuing institutional reforms, including stronger vigilance mechanisms and a reform committee headed by Amitabh Kaushal.

The CID investigation has widened with the arrest of Sushma Kumari and Akshay Tiwari, wife and brother of key accused Abhay Tiwari.

The central question now is whether Jharkhand can clean up its recruitment system without penalising candidates who were genuinely selected on merit. That unresolved issue could determine the next phase of the state's recruitment crisis.