Ranchi- The Jharkhand High Court on Tuesday continued its interim stay on the state government’s decision to cancel appointments made through several recruitment examinations, including the JPSC 11th to 13th Combined Civil Services Examinations, CDPO, FSO and JSSC-CGL.
A bench of Justice Deepak Roshan directed the state government to clarify its stand and file its response within 48 hours. The matter will be taken up again on September 18.
During the hearing, the state government informed the court that a report on the progress of the ongoing CID investigation would be submitted in a sealed cover.
The government had sought one week’s additional time to file an affidavit detailing the status of the investigation. However, the court declined the request and granted only 48 hours for submitting its response.
The bench also orally observed that the case concerns the future of a large number of candidates and employees who obtained appointments through the recruitment process and, therefore, the matter should not be unnecessarily delayed.
The court also raised questions over the pace of the CID investigation and asked the state government to provide a clear and time-bound update on the progress of the probe.
Appearing for the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), advocate Sanjoy Piprawal presented the commission’s case. The petitioners were represented by senior advocate Indrajit Sinha, along with advocates Amritansh Vats, Chanchal Jain and others.
The state government was represented by senior Supreme Court advocate Meenakshi Arora along with the Advocate General.
The controversy stems from the state government’s decision to cancel appointments linked to several recruitment examinations in which TDPL, a company associated with conducting the tests, had played a role.
The cancellation order covered appointments made through the JPSC 11th to 13th Combined Civil Services Examinations, JPSC-CGL, CDPO, FSO and JSSC-CGL, among others.
Candidates and employees affected by the decision subsequently approached the High Court, challenging the blanket cancellation and arguing that it would adversely affect their rights, careers and future prospects.
In earlier hearings, the High Court had granted interim relief to the petitioners and stayed the government’s cancellation order. That interim protection continues for now, with the court seeking the state’s response before the next hearing on September 18.
The High Court has not yet finally ruled on the validity of the government’s decision to cancel the recruitments.
–IANS