Massive jolt for Hemant Soren: After 26-day agitation, Jharkhand High Court stays JPSC exam cancellation order
The interim order came while the court was hearing petitions related to the 11th to 13th JPSC examinations and the Food Safety Officer examination.
- Aug 20, 2026,
- Updated Aug 20, 2026 4:43 PM IST
In relief for candidates facing the prospect of losing jobs they said they had secured on merit, the Jharkhand High Court has stayed the state government’s order cancelling two recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC). The interim order came while the court was hearing petitions related to the 11th to 13th JPSC examinations and the Food Safety Officer examination.
According to a report by India Today, the court directed the state government to file its response within 15 days along with a counter-affidavit. The government’s decision to cancel the two examinations will remain on hold pending further proceedings, and the petitioners associated with both examinations will be allowed to resume work with immediate effect.
DO CHECKOUT | Jharkhand Students’ Protest: JPSC-JSSC Row Escalates, Soren Faces Fresh Pressure
Exams cancelled amid 26-day recruitment stir
The High Court’s intervention came days after the Jharkhand government decided to cancel 22 recruitment examinations and order probes into 23 others conducted since 2014 by the JPSC, the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and an outsourced agency. The government said the step was needed to restore public confidence in the recruitment system.
The decision followed a 26-day agitation led by the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. After several rounds of talks, the protesters suspended their agitation on Wednesday and gave the Hemant Soren government two months to address their grievances and conduct a fair probe into the allegations.
Three protesters who had been on an indefinite hunger strike for 15 days also ended their fast on Wednesday. Earlier, Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha leader Devendra Mahto had ended his 16-day hunger strike on Monday, while two other protesters, Prem Nayak and Umme Habiba, called off their fast the following day. The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch has said it will intensify the agitation if the government fails to resolve the issues within two months.
Successful candidates protest exam cancellations
The cancellations also triggered a separate protest by successful candidates, many of whom said they had already joined government service. Around 2,700 candidates, including about 2,000 recruited through the JSSC Combined Graduate Level examination, held demonstrations outside the state secretariat, demanding that the notifications be withdrawn.
Some of the protesters also filed petitions before the Jharkhand High Court, challenging the government’s decision and seeking protection from possible job losses. They said they had secured their appointments on merit and should not be penalised for alleged irregularities in which they had no involvement.
The demonstrators said they were not opposed to an investigation into alleged irregularities, but objected to the cancellation of entire examinations. They argued that action should be taken against tainted candidates and not against those selected on merit. Some candidates also entered the Jharkhand Secretariat premises on Wednesday despite prohibitory orders and police warnings. The functioning of several government departments was also affected by the demonstration.
“We cleared the examination based on our merit. We have no involvement with any irregularities. The government has no right to punish us,” said Shyam Sundar Mandal, an assistant section officer.
Chandan Kumar Sahu, a food safety officer with the government, said, “No complaints have so far been received about any irregularities in exams for food safety officers. But we are being thrown out. This is not justice. We will continue our protest till justice is meted out to us.” Another candidate, Anima Vibha Minz, said they cleared the examination based on merit.
The candidates said several of them had already joined government departments, including finance, home, road transport, labour, and information and public relations. With the High Court staying the cancellation of the two JPSC examinations for now, the larger dispute over recruitment examinations, alleged irregularities and the future of selected candidates remains before the court and the state government.
In relief for candidates facing the prospect of losing jobs they said they had secured on merit, the Jharkhand High Court has stayed the state government’s order cancelling two recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC). The interim order came while the court was hearing petitions related to the 11th to 13th JPSC examinations and the Food Safety Officer examination.
According to a report by India Today, the court directed the state government to file its response within 15 days along with a counter-affidavit. The government’s decision to cancel the two examinations will remain on hold pending further proceedings, and the petitioners associated with both examinations will be allowed to resume work with immediate effect.
DO CHECKOUT | Jharkhand Students’ Protest: JPSC-JSSC Row Escalates, Soren Faces Fresh Pressure
Exams cancelled amid 26-day recruitment stir
The High Court’s intervention came days after the Jharkhand government decided to cancel 22 recruitment examinations and order probes into 23 others conducted since 2014 by the JPSC, the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and an outsourced agency. The government said the step was needed to restore public confidence in the recruitment system.
The decision followed a 26-day agitation led by the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations. After several rounds of talks, the protesters suspended their agitation on Wednesday and gave the Hemant Soren government two months to address their grievances and conduct a fair probe into the allegations.
Three protesters who had been on an indefinite hunger strike for 15 days also ended their fast on Wednesday. Earlier, Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha leader Devendra Mahto had ended his 16-day hunger strike on Monday, while two other protesters, Prem Nayak and Umme Habiba, called off their fast the following day. The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch has said it will intensify the agitation if the government fails to resolve the issues within two months.
Successful candidates protest exam cancellations
The cancellations also triggered a separate protest by successful candidates, many of whom said they had already joined government service. Around 2,700 candidates, including about 2,000 recruited through the JSSC Combined Graduate Level examination, held demonstrations outside the state secretariat, demanding that the notifications be withdrawn.
Some of the protesters also filed petitions before the Jharkhand High Court, challenging the government’s decision and seeking protection from possible job losses. They said they had secured their appointments on merit and should not be penalised for alleged irregularities in which they had no involvement.
The demonstrators said they were not opposed to an investigation into alleged irregularities, but objected to the cancellation of entire examinations. They argued that action should be taken against tainted candidates and not against those selected on merit. Some candidates also entered the Jharkhand Secretariat premises on Wednesday despite prohibitory orders and police warnings. The functioning of several government departments was also affected by the demonstration.
“We cleared the examination based on our merit. We have no involvement with any irregularities. The government has no right to punish us,” said Shyam Sundar Mandal, an assistant section officer.
Chandan Kumar Sahu, a food safety officer with the government, said, “No complaints have so far been received about any irregularities in exams for food safety officers. But we are being thrown out. This is not justice. We will continue our protest till justice is meted out to us.” Another candidate, Anima Vibha Minz, said they cleared the examination based on merit.
The candidates said several of them had already joined government departments, including finance, home, road transport, labour, and information and public relations. With the High Court staying the cancellation of the two JPSC examinations for now, the larger dispute over recruitment examinations, alleged irregularities and the future of selected candidates remains before the court and the state government.