Jharkhand government agreed to cancel three JPSC examinations after talks with students.
Protesters remain firm on a CBI probe into the JSSC-CGL examination.
Government says it has accepted 98 per cent of the students’ demands.
The Jharkhand government on Sunday agreed to cancel three JPSC examinations amid continuing protests over alleged recruitment irregularities, but the move failed to end the 16-day agitation as students remained firm on their demand for a CBI probe into the JSSC-CGL examination.
After talks with student representatives in Ranchi, the government agreed to cancel the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination, JPSC Backlog 2023 and JPSC Backlog 2025 examinations.
Technical and Higher Education Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu said the government had accepted “98 percent” of the issues raised by the protesters and would address the alleged irregularities through a “two-pronged approach”.
“Following three days of talks and extensive consultations, and acting on the instructions of CM Hemant Soren, the government decided to address the irregularities associated with the 14th JPSC and the 2023-25 backlog recruitments through a two-pronged approach. Criminal aspects will be investigated by the CID; furthermore, given the financial implications and evidence of illicit financial transactions, a request will be made for an ED investigation,” Kumar said.
He also said a fast-track court would be set up and a chargesheet filed within 90 days.
CGL Exam Remains Sticking Point
The major disagreement concerns the JSSC-CGL examination, which the students want cancelled and investigated by the CBI.
The government has refused to scrap the examination, arguing that it was conducted in accordance with directions of the High Court and Supreme Court and remains under judicial monitoring. Results have already been declared and successful candidates have joined service.
“Following these discussions, student representatives demanded the cancellation of the CGL examination. The government clearly stated that, as the examination was conducted in accordance with the directives of the High Court and the Supreme Court, and is currently under their monitoring, it lacks the authority to cancel it,” Kumar said.
Instead, the government proposed setting up a committee headed by a retired judge to oversee the investigation.
“The remaining two percent, specifically the demand to cancel the CGL exam, could not be met because the government cannot unilaterally cancel an exam conducted under court orders, where results have been published and successful candidates are already employed,” Kumar said.
He said the retired judge-led panel could also provide students with a channel to raise concerns if they believed the CID investigation was not addressing their complaints.
Students Refuse To Withdraw Protest
Student representatives acknowledged that several of their demands had been accepted but said the agitation would continue unless the CGL matter is handed over to the CBI.
“Most of our demands have been met, including the demand for cancellation of 14th JPSC exam. But we will not compromise till our demand for a CBI probe is fulfilled. We will continue our proposed march to the Jharkhand assembly on August 10,” student leader Ravindra Paswan told Indian Express.
Paswan said the government had also proposed CID and ED investigations into examinations conducted by the TDPL agency and accepted most of the demands concerning recruitment reforms. However, some issues, including age relaxation, remain unresolved.
On the CGL examination, he said the government had offered a judicial inquiry headed by a retired judge, with the possibility of an ED investigation if financial irregularities were detected.
“Nevertheless, we students continue to demand a CBI inquiry,” Paswan said.
“The agitation will continue; the agitation is still ongoing,” he added.
Another student leader, Kunal, said protesters would proceed with their planned march to the Vidhan Sabha.
“Let me clarify that our Vidhan Sabha gherao will continue peacefully. Our demand is for a CBI inquiry; we will not compromise on that,” he said.
Government Proposes Wider Recruitment Reforms
Apart from action on individual examinations, the government has proposed measures to overhaul the recruitment process.
Kumar said a panel comprising experts from IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIM Ranchi and XLRI Jamshedpur would be set up to suggest examination reforms.
Different student organisations have submitted separate sets of demands. The JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch sought cancellation of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination, while the NSUI has demanded a CID investigation into JPSC and JSSC examinations under suspicion within 90 days. It has also proposed establishing a Jharkhand Testing Agency on the lines of the National Testing Agency.
The ACS has sought the inclusion of tribal and regional languages as qualifying papers in recruitment examinations and cancellation of examinations where irregularities are established.
Three JPSC Members Resign
Three serving JPSC members, Ajita Bhattacharya, Anima Hansda and Jamal Ahmed, have submitted their resignations to the governor.
So far, 19 people have been arrested in connection with the case, while former JPSC panel chairperson L Khiangte has been questioned four times since July 28.
