Ranchi: The Jharkhand government has cancelled 44 recruitment examinations conducted since 2014 amid prolonged student protests over alleged irregularities in the state’s recruitment process.
The government issued eight notifications on Tuesday night, announcing the cancellation of examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL).
The cancelled examinations covered several government posts, including drug inspectors, assistant professors, deputy collectors, dental doctors, assistant engineers, civil judges, additional public prosecutors and forest range officers.
Recruitment examinations for lecturers in government polytechnics, senior scientific officers, assistant conservators of forests and various other administrative and technical posts have also been scrapped.
The decision followed Monday’s Cabinet meeting, during which the state government cancelled the JSSC-Combined Graduate Level (CGL) examination, one of the key demands of protesting students. The Cabinet also decided to cancel all examinations conducted by TDPL and the results published by the agency.
The government said it would request the High Court to constitute a fast-track court to hear cases related to alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations. It has also decided to establish an internal vigilance cell in both recruitment bodies to strengthen oversight.
A reform committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal has been tasked with reviewing the recruitment system and recommending measures to improve the examination process. The committee is expected to submit its report within two months.
The cancellation of the 44 examinations comes amid sustained student protests demanding action over alleged irregularities in recruitment tests. While the government’s decision addresses a major demand of the protesters, some student groups continue to seek a wider probe into the recruitment process.