Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has continued its stay on the state government’s order cancelling JSSC-CGL and other appointments made under advertisement number 10/2023, after the government failed to file its response and sought four weeks’ additional time to do so.
Court Refuses Extended Time, Calls Mass Cancellation Improper
Justice Deepak Roshan’s bench, hearing the matter, said the government would not be granted more than two days to respond, remarking that cancelling appointments collectively in one go, in the manner of an arbitrary “Tughlaqi farman,” was improper. Senior advocate Rajiv Ranjan, representing the petitioners, argued that the government was trying to delay filing its affidavit by citing the submission of a status report, pointing out that a CID investigation and an affidavit are two separate matters. The bench was hearing multiple petitions, including those filed by Akash Gaurav and others, and Niroj and others, challenging the cancellation of these appointments. Advocates Shrey Mishra, Indrajeet Sinha and Amritansh Vats also appeared for the petitioners, while Advocate General Rohitashya Rai represented the state government.
Sealed CID Report Due Today, Merit Hearing on Friday
The court directed the government to submit a sealed report of the CID investigation by 2:30 pm the same day, following which a formal order would be passed. However, the hearing on the merits of the case has been fixed for Friday at 10:30 am.
Background: Mass Cancellation Followed CID Findings
Based on findings from the CID probe, the state government had announced late on the night of August 18 the cancellation of all examinations found to be compromised, including the TDPL, and had also ordered an investigation into possible irregularities in all recruitment examinations conducted since 2014. Following these announcements, the Personnel and Administrative Reforms Department issued notifications relating to exam cancellations, suspension of ongoing processes, and further inquiry — covering the cancellation of 22 examinations, suspension of 6 others, and the inclusion of 17 examinations under investigation.
