Administrator
20 August 2026
The decision taken by the CM Hemant Soren-led Cabinet meeting on August 17, cancelling 44 recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the outsourced examination agency, TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL), has raised eyebrows among legal experts.
“The state cabinet’s decisions to cancel exams conducted by autonomous bodies such as Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission( JSSC) - CCL are prima facie illegal.”
“These autonomous bodies conducted exams and published results. And, on the basis of alleged ‘irregularities’ claimed by the investigating agency CID and demand of student protesters, the exams and results were cancelled. The government’s autonomous institutions conducted exams and published results can not be rejected by the state Cabinet”, thinks Advocate A.K. Lal.
In any case, the Soren government’s action came amid continued protests by recruitment aspirants in Ranchi. The government issued eight notifications on Tuesday, August 18, listing examinations conducted since 2014 that have now been scrapped.
The cancelled examinations include recruitment tests for drug inspectors, assistant professors, deputy collectors, dental doctors, assistant engineers, civil judges, additional public prosecutors and forest range officers, among other posts.
Along with cancelling the examinations, the government has also announced measures to strengthen the examination system and speed up proceedings in cases of alleged malpractice.
The 8 notifications issued by the state government ( enclosed here ) carry a list of 44 recruitment exams that were cancelled.
The list covers examinations for a wide range of government posts. Besides those mentioned above, the cancelled examinations include recruitment tests for lecturers in government polytechnics, senior scientific officers and assistant conservators of forests, as well as several administrative and technical positions.
The cancellation of JPSC and JSSC-CGL examinations, one of the key demands of protesting aspirants, has been welcomed by student protesters who have suspended their agitation, their leaders said.
The Soren government’s decision has, however, created uncertainty for candidates who were selected through some of the affected examinations.
In the case of JSSC-CGL, around 1,900 candidates received appointment letters in December 2025, after the Jharkhand High Court allowed the results to be published. Some of the affected employees have since protested outside the state Secretariat.
Along with the cancellations, the government has announced three measures to address concerns over the recruitment examination system.
The state has announced to request the Jharkhand High Court to constitute a Fast Track Court to hear cases related to alleged irregularities and misconduct in JPSC and JSSC examinations.
It will also set up an Internal Monitoring Cell in both JPSC and JSSC to oversee the examination process.
In addition, the government has constituted a committee headed by IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal to conduct a comprehensive review of examination procedures and recommend reforms.
The committee will include other government officials and the director of a reputed institution and has been asked to submit its report to the government within two months.
Alongside, the state government’s decision amounts to dismissal of the already serving state government staff. As per the prevalent law, dismissing any civil government employee without an inquiry or notice violates Article 311(2) of the Constitution of India and breaches the principles of natural justice (specifically audi alteram partem, the right to a fair hearing).
“The government has taken a decision in the face of the students' agitations. This is unconstitutional”, claimed A.K. Lal.
However, the Soren government seems to have succeeded in saving itself and shifting the goalpost to turn it into a legal battle.
So, it’s left with all politics now. “No legality whatsoever. What is there to investigate. There is no valid cause to investigate the mode of exams conducted and concluded without litigation/ complaints more than a decade ago. It has not even been the demand of agitators”, thinks a retired IAS officer.
“Historically, in one or two cases where people went to courts, and matters stand adjudicated by the Supreme Court. But student agitators did not understand this. Strangely, no media is writing about it.”
