Jamshedpur, Sept 20: Jharkhand Assembly Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi on Sunday demanded a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) recruitment examination, questioning the state government’s recent affidavit before the High Court and the functioning of the ongoing CID investigation.
Marandi said the government’s latest submission before the Jharkhand High Court, which described the examination process as having been affected by irregularities, raised questions about its earlier submissions in the case.
He questioned why all relevant facts were not placed before the court earlier and sought an independent examination of the roles of senior officials associated with the recruitment process.
The BJP leader demanded the removal of JSSC Chairman Prashant Kumar, Secretary Sudhir Gupta and CID Additional Director General Manoj Kaushik. He also called for scrutiny of the roles of former DGP Anurag Gupta and other officials involved in the examination process.
Marandi also questioned whether responsibility for the alleged irregularities could be confined to officials at the lower level while senior functionaries overseeing the recruitment system remained outside the scope of accountability.
He further raised questions about the accountability of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, asking whether alleged irregularities on such a scale could have occurred without the knowledge of those at the top of the administration. These were political allegations by Marandi and do not constitute a judicial finding of the Chief Minister’s involvement.
Questions CID investigation
Marandi also criticised the earlier CID investigation, questioning why alleged discrepancies had not been detected at an earlier stage if the examination process had been compromised.
He said the investigation should be conducted by an agency independent of the state machinery and reiterated that a CBI probe was necessary to establish responsibility and address concerns of candidates affected by the controversy.
The Jharkhand High Court has appointed retired judge Gautam Kumar Choudhary to monitor the ongoing investigation into the recruitment-related irregularities. The court has also continued interim protection in proceedings concerning cancellation of appointment.
JMM defends investigation
JMM’s Seraikela-Kharsawan district president Shubendu Mahato defended the ongoing investigation, saying the agencies were proceeding in the right direction and accusing opposition parties of politicising the issue.
The dispute comes amid continuing legal proceedings over the recruitment process. The state government has defended its decision concerning the examination and appointments in an affidavit filed before the High Court, while affected candidates and other petitioners have been given an opportunity to respond. The matter is scheduled for further hearing on October 7.
