Relief for 2,700 Job-Holders as Jharkhand High Court Stays Exam Cancellation

The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday stayed the state government's decision to cancel appointments made through the JPSC's 11th-13th Combined Civil Services Examination and the Food Safety Officer examination, providing temporary relief to thousands of successful candidates whose jobs were scrapped amid a wider recruitment irregularities probe.

A bench of Justice Deepak Roshan directed that the government's order revoking the appointments remain on hold until further directions and sought responses from the state government and Jharkhand Public Service Commission. The order followed four petitions filed by successful candidates, including Avadhesh Kumar, Deepmala, Sonam Kumari and Saurabh Singh.

The court's intervention came hours after around 2,700 candidates staged a protest outside the state secretariat against the cancellation of 22 recruitment examinations and probes into 23 others. Around 2,000 of the protesters were recruited through the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination.

Several protesters had already joined departments including finance, home, road transport, labour, and information and public relations. They maintained that they had cleared the examinations on merit and should not be punished for alleged irregularities committed by others.

"No complaints have so far been received about any irregularities in exams for food safety officers. But we are being thrown out. This is not justice," said Chandan Kumar Sahu, a food safety officer.

In their petitions, candidates argued that scrapping entire recruitment processes without establishing widespread compromise unfairly penalised successful candidates. Sonam Kumari told the court she had resigned from another job after receiving her Jharkhand appointment letter on November 24, 2025, and had completed training before the government's August 18 notification cancelled her appointment.

The government's action followed a 25-day student agitation alleging irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the JPSC and outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL). Authorities have so far acted against 44 recruitment examinations and processes, with 22 cancelled, six put on hold and 17 older exams sent for CID scrutiny.

The CID probe has also widened with the recent arrests of Sushma Kumari and Akshay Tiwari, the wife and brother of key accused Abhay Tiwari.

Meanwhile, the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch suspended its 26-day agitation earlier this week and gave the government a two-month ultimatum. Thursday's protest by appointed candidates highlighted a different demand, protecting jobs already secured while investigating recruitment irregularities.

The High Court's stay does not settle the larger dispute but prevents the cancellation from taking effect until the state responds and the matter is heard further.