Soren said investigations by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had brought to light “several shocking facts”.
“Since the investigation is ongoing, it is not possible to disclose every detail openly; however, it has been observed that individuals appointed through the CGL process are now being arrested on charges related to irregularities in the JPSC examinations. Furthermore, there appears to be a complex, interconnected network involving various companies that have operated here at different times,” he said.
He said the government had directed the concerned department and the CID to conduct a thorough investigation covering examinations held from 2014 onwards.
Student leader Devendra Nath Mahato welcomed the government’s decision and thanked Soren, the state administration, police, media, students and parents for supporting the movement.
Mahato said the students would cooperate with the ongoing investigation and efforts to clean up the recruitment examination system, but stressed that they wanted structural reforms to prevent paper leaks and other irregularities in the future.
“We, the students, will continue to support this investigation and the effort to eradicate this corrupt system at its very roots, and we will persist in our struggle regarding the ongoing reform process,” Mahato said.
However, the protesting students said not all their demands had been fulfilled, with their demand for a CBI inquiry into the alleged examination irregularities still unresolved. They also said no decision had been taken on the 11th to 13th JPSC examinations.
He said the students were awaiting an official notification before deciding their next course of action.
“If our issues are resolved and our demands met, why would we need to hold further protests?” he said, while seeking a system that would guarantee against paper leaks and examination irregularities in the future.
Mahato said the students were not yet “fully satisfied” despite the government accepting their demands, as they wanted broader reforms across the examination system.
“While our demands have been met, we cannot say we are fully satisfied yet, as a long battle still lies ahead,” he said.
JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch leader Piyush Kumar Singh said the agitation would continue until the remaining demands were addressed. “No decision has been taken on 11th to 13th JPSC and our demand for CBI inquiry still remains unfulfilled, therefore, our agitation will continue till it is not fulfilled,” Singh said.
Meanwhile, the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination has also left candidates who were selected through the process facing uncertainty. Some successful candidates said they would challenge the government’s decision in court. A successful candidate said the appointments had been made following a High Court division bench ruling and that the Supreme Court had also upheld the process.
“We were appointed following a High Court division bench ruling. We had the Supreme Court’s seal of approval, yet suddenly, we became unemployed. We are upset with the Chief Minister. Sir, please reconsider this decision. What about the honourable court’s stance? What will happen to the hundreds of our brothers who resigned from previous jobs to join this one?” the candidate said. The candidates said they would approach the court again, pointing out that they had secured their appointments following judicial intervention.