Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has directed that 23 Grade-IV employees of the Jharkhand Assembly Secretariat continue in their promoted posts of Junior Secretariat Assistant, holding that the Secretariat’s decision to scrap the entire exam because it was conducted for 97 marks instead of 100 was arbitrary and legally unsustainable.
Court Quashes Cancellation Order, Sets Eight-Week Deadline
Justice Deepak Roshan’s bench set aside the October 13, 2025 order cancelling the examination and directed the concerned officials to issue a formal order granting all consequential benefits within eight weeks. The related contempt petition has also been closed.
How the Dispute Arose
A notice for promotion to Junior Secretariat Assistant for Grade-IV staff was issued on August 29, 2025. The competitive exam was held on September 14, results were declared on September 16, and the petitioners were promoted on October 3, with most joining the same day. On October 13, the Assembly Secretariat’s deputy secretary cancelled the exam citing “technical reasons,” sending the employees back to their earlier Grade-IV posts. The Secretariat told the court that the exam was meant to be for 100 marks but the question paper carried only 97, which affected the validity of the process. The employees argued that the 97-mark paper applied equally to all candidates, that no one gained or lost unfairly, and that there were no allegations of malpractice.
Department’s Error Cannot Be Held Against Employees
The court observed that the rules did not fix any specific total marks for the written exam, so a 97-mark paper could not justify scrapping the entire process. It added that the alleged technical lapse lay with the department, not the petitioners, and that cancelling the process after results, promotion orders and joining was improper.
Reversion Without Hearing Amounts to Reduction in Rank
The court held that sending employees back to their old posts after promotion amounted to a reduction in rank, for which they should have been given notice, an opportunity to show cause and a hearing.
Continuous Service from October 3, 2025
All petitioners are to be retained as Junior Secretariat Assistants with continuous service from October 3, 2025. One petitioner who joined on October 21, 2025, due to sanctioned leave, will receive benefits from that date.
