The Jharkhand High Court has sought a time-bound update from the state government on its CID probe into the JSSC-CGL recruitment irregularities, with Justice Deepak Roshan’s bench questioning the investigation’s pace.
The government said a sealed-cover report on the CID investigation would be submitted, but its request for a week’s extension to file an affidavit on the probe’s status was rejected by the court.
The bench directed the state to clarify its stand and respond within 48 hours, observing that the matter concerns numerous candidates’ futures and cannot be delayed further.
The interim stay on 99 candidates appointed under Advertisement No. 10/2023 remains in force, with the case scheduled to return on September 18.
The dispute traces back to the government’s August 17 cancellation of the JSSC-CGL exam and related recruitment advertisements, after a prolonged student protest over alleged irregularities.
The CID’s probe covers recruitment examinations dating back to 2014, making it one of the broadest irregularity investigations the state has ordered in recent years.
A separate committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal has been tasked with framing rules to prevent future examination irregularities.
A parallel Supreme Court petition filed by activist Harisharan Devgan is separately seeking to transfer the investigation from the state CID to the CBI.
Successful JSSC-CGL candidates who had already secured appointments have previously staged protests, including a human chain and torchlight demonstrations, after the cancellation was announced.
Tuesday’s hearing was the latest in a series of court dates in the case since the cancellation, with the matter now set to return on September 18.
Justice Deepak Roshan is presiding over the case, which centers on the government’s August 17 cancellation of the JSSC-CGL exam and related recruitment advertisements.
The court’s interim stay protects 99 candidates appointed under Advertisement No. 10/2023, in a case filed by petitioner Akash Gaurav and 98 others.
High Court of Jharkhand, Ranchi, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
