Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi: Even 25 years after Jharkhand’s formation, the state is yet to establish a dedicated Probation Directorate or create new posts to promote probation officers. Files related to the creation of posts have been circulating between the Inspector General (Prison) and the Home Department for the last three years without resolution.
Key Responsibilities But No Structure
Probation officers are recruited by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission, similar to the state administrative service. They have critical responsibilities, including providing courts with reports under the Probation of Offenders Act, 1958, preparing Social Investigation Reports (SIR) under the Juvenile Justice Act, and submitting recommendations to the Sentence Review Board (SRB) for early release of life convicts. Despite their pivotal role, there is no standalone Probation Directorate to manage and monitor their work in Jharkhand.
Stuck Without Promotions
Currently, around 40 probation officers are serving in the state. Nearly 20 of them were appointed under the 40th Bihar Public Service Commission batch back in 1995. The rest were recruited by the Jharkhand PSC. However, due to the absence of sanctioned posts for promotion, many senior officers are forced to retire at their original rank without any career progression. In 2022, then IG Prisons Manoj Kumar had proposed the creation of a post hierarchy for timely promotions, but the proposal is still stuck in bureaucratic limbo.
