While protesting students have welcomed the cancellation of the examinations, around 2,000 candidates who secured government jobs through the JSSC-Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination have launched a counter-protest, fearing job loss.
Appointees protest as 2,000 face job uncertainty
Around 2,000 candidates appointed to various Jharkhand government departments after clearing the JSSC-CGL examination marched from the state Secretariat to Birsa Chowk in Ranchi on Tuesday, a day after Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced the cancellation.
The employees said they were not opposed to an investigation into alleged irregularities. However, they argued that candidates who secured appointments through a legitimate selection process should not be penalised for alleged wrongdoing by others.
Several of the candidates have already joined government service, with appointments across departments including Finance, Home, Road Transport, Labour, Information and Public Relations, besides other administrative offices.
Some candidates said they had resigned from other government and public-sector jobs after being appointed through the JSSC-CGL recruitment process.
Assistant Section Officer Kaushal Kumar questioned the cancellation and told The Times of India that candidates who had been appointed should not be removed without establishing wrongdoing. The protesters have also demanded a CBI or independent probe into the alleged irregularities.
Pusha Lata Choubey, another assistant section officer, said the appointed candidates would seek legal recourse against the cancellation, TOI reported. The candidates said several appointments were made after judicial proceedings and that they had already joined their respective departments.
Which exams have been cancelled?
The government’s decision covers 44 recruitment examinations conducted by the JPSC and TDPL since 2014. The cancelled tests include recruitment for several administrative, technical, judicial and specialised posts.
These include examinations for drug inspectors, assistant professors in government engineering and medical colleges, lecturers in government polytechnics, senior scientific officers, assistant conservators of forests and forest range officers.
Recruitment examinations for civil judges (junior division), assistant public prosecutors, deputy collectors, assistant engineers and dentists have also been cancelled.
The list further includes various editions of the Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Examination, besides examinations for food safety officers, child development project officers, food analysts, deputy director (prosecution), project managers, inspectors of factories and boilers, agriculture officers, geologists and chemists, among other administrative and technical posts.
The government said the action was necessary to restore confidence in the recruitment system amid allegations of malpractice and irregularities.
The decision was announced after a Cabinet meeting on Monday and was followed by eight notifications issued late Tuesday night, formally listing the examinations being cancelled.
Govt sets up reform committee
Alongside cancelling the examinations, the Jharkhand government has announced several measures aimed at reforming the recruitment process.
A committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal has been constituted to recommend reforms in the JPSC and JSSC examination systems. The committee has been given two months to submit its report.
The panel will examine the recruitment process and recommend measures to prevent paper leaks, manipulation and other forms of malpractice.
The government has also proposed requesting the High Court to constitute a fast-track court to hear cases related to alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations. In addition, internal vigilance cells are proposed in both commissions.
Devendra Mahto says protests will continue
JLKM leader and student leader Devendra Nath Mahto, who ended his 16-day hunger strike following the government’s announcement, said he had ended his fast but not the protest.
Mahto welcomed the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination, calling it a “historic win” for the students’ movement. However, he said a second phase of the agitation would soon begin.
He has demanded guarantees that future JPSC and JSSC examinations will be free from paper leaks and other irregularities, besides seeking a monitoring committee and a comprehensive audit of the recruitment process.
Three protesters, Rahul Kranti, Sabita Kumari and Rupesh Pal, have continued their hunger strike.
The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, which has been leading the student agitation at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi, said it would decide its next course of action after assessing the government’s decisions.
(With inputs from PTI)