Headline: Petitions in Jharkhand HC Challenge Scrapping of 22 Exams

The petitioners represent a section of recruits who cleared rigorous selection stages for the 11th–13th JPSC Combined Civil Services Examination, the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Examination, and the Food Safety Officer post. Several petitioners have already completed verification, received formal appointment letters, and joined active government service across various state departments.

Core Arguments Before the Bench

In their legal challenge, the candidates contend that the state administration executed a blanket, unilateral cancellation without affording appointed personnel a right to be heard—a move they argue violates fundamental principles of natural justice.

Key submissions presented in the petitions include:

• Absence of Individualized Proceedings: Petitioners argue that while law enforcement agencies must penalize individuals implicated in malpractices, terminating an entire batch of merit-based appointees without individual inquiry or proven guilt constitutes arbitrary administrative action.

• Disruption of Existing Service: Hundreds of petitioners had resigned from previous public- and private-sector positions upon securing selection under JSSC and JPSC recruitment notifications, leaving them facing sudden employment termination.

• Compliance with Prior Judicial Mandates: Counsel for the JSSC-CGL petitioners highlighted that the final merit list and subsequent job allocations were executed in compliance with prior High Court directives, making a total executive reversal legally vulnerable.

Background of the Executive Order

The Hemant Soren-led coalition government announced the cancellation of 22 recruitment tests and ordered a comprehensive Crime Investigation Department (CID) probe into 17 other exams conducted since 2014. The executive decision followed a 26-day sustained agitation by the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch at Ranchi’s Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium over alleged paper leaks and widespread irregularities.

The government maintained that scrapping the examinations was necessary to restore public trust in state selection boards following findings presented by Special Investigation Teams (SIT) and the CID.

The judicial outcome of Thursday’s afternoon hearing is expected to establish crucial precedent regarding whether executive authorities can void completed selection processes after appointments have been formalized under state service rules.