Ranchi, Aug 9: The Jharkhand government on Sunday agreed to cancel three examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) amid allegations of irregularities, while rejecting the protesting students’ demand for cancellation of the JSSC CGL examination.
The government agreed to scrap the 14th JPSC Preliminary Examination and the JPSC Backlog 2023 and 2025 examinations, and said it had accepted nearly 98 per cent of the demands raised by the protesting students.
State minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu said the government had decided to adopt a two-pronged approach to investigate the alleged irregularities, with the CID probing criminal aspects and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) being requested to investigate alleged illicit financial transactions.
“Criminal aspects will be investigated by the CID; furthermore, given the financial implications and evidence of illicit financial transactions, a request will be made for an ED investigation,” Sonu said.
The government has also agreed to establish a fast-track court, with chargesheets targeted to be filed within 90 days, according to the discussions with the student representatives.
An expert committee comprising representatives from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad, IIM Ranchi and XLRI will also be constituted to recommend reforms in the recruitment examination system.
However, the government and protesters remained divided over the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination. Sonu said the government could not cancel the examination as it had been conducted under directions of the High Court and Supreme Court, while its results had already been declared and selected candidates were employed.
“The remaining two percent, specifically the demand to cancel the CGL exam, could not be met because the government cannot unilaterally cancel an exam conducted under court orders,” Sonu said.
The government also offered to constitute a monitoring committee headed by a retired judge to oversee the CID investigation and address concerns raised by students. The protesters, however, rejected the proposal and maintained their demand for a CBI probe.
“Our Vidhan Sabha gherao will continue peacefully. Our demand is for a CBI inquiry; we will not compromise on that,” student leader Kunal said.
Another student leader, Ravindra Paswan, said the government had not accepted the demand for a CBI investigation into the CGL examination.
“Nevertheless, we students continue to demand a CBI inquiry,” Paswan said, adding, “The agitation will continue; the agitation is still ongoing.”
The protesters have announced a peaceful gherao of the Jharkhand Assembly on August 10, with the demand for a CBI investigation remaining at the centre of their agitation.
Meanwhile, three sitting JPSC members — Dr Ajita Bhattacharya, Dr Jameel Ahmed and Dr Anima Hansda — resigned after being summoned by the CID for questioning. Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar has accepted their resignations.
The alleged recruitment examination irregularities case has so far led to the arrest of 19 people, while former JPSC chairman L Khiangte has been questioned four times since July 28.
The protesting student groups have also demanded wider reforms in the recruitment system, including age relaxation, inclusion of tribal and regional languages as qualifying papers, cancellation of examinations where irregularities are established, and creation of a Jharkhand Testing Agency on the lines of the National Testing Agency (NTA).
While the government’s decision to scrap the three JPSC examinations marks a significant concession to the protesters, the unresolved demand for a CBI probe and cancellation of the JSSC CGL examination is likely to keep the agitation alive.
