The Jharkhand High Court also stayed the operation of the order cancelling the appointments of food safety officers. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday (August 20, 2026) stayed the State government order cancelling the appointment of government employees recruited through the 11th to 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations.
The Jharkhand government had issued a notification on August 18, cancelling 22 recruitment examinations, including the 11th to 13th JPSC examinations, after weeks of public protest about alleged irregularities.
After hearing arguments from all parties, the Bench of Justice Deepak Roshan stayed the State’s decision to cancel the recruitments from the 11th–13th JPSC. The High Court also stayed an order cancelling the appointments of food safety officers.
The Court asked the State to furnish its reply by September 15, the next date of hearing.
Also Read | JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch calls off stir after Jharkhand govt scraps 22 recruitment exams
Principles of natural justice
During the hearing, Justice Roshan orally remarked that since the State government itself has ordered the CID to investigate the entire matter, no one can be removed from a permanent job without adhering to the principles of natural justice. The decision to cancel the 11th to 13th JPSC results was challenged by Sonam Kumari and Deepmala, while the matter concerning the food Safety Officer recruitment was challenged by Saurav Singh.
The petitioner’s advocates Kumar Harsh and Amritansh Vats informed the court that neither an FIR nor any departmental action had been initiated in this matter. The court inquired whether there was any fact-finding report regarding the issue and asked if a regular appointment could be cancelled simply by issuing an order. The court also noted that numerous police officers and Deputy Collectors (serving as magistrates) recruited through these examinations had been deployed to manage the Shravani Mela in Deoghar, and the sudden termination of their services was causing inconvenience to the general public.
‘Arbitrary high-handed decrees’
Jharkhand’s Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi questioned the intentions of Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s government, following the High Court’s stay on the government’s decision to cancel the JPSC and food safety officer appointments.
In a post on X, Mr. Marandi said he had expressed apprehensions from the very beginning regarding the government’s ill intentions towards students. He noted that when the government bypassed proper legal procedures and issued arbitrary, high-handed decrees announcing the sudden cancellation of the JPSC and JSSC examinations and appointments, he had predicted that the decision would not stand and could face a stay order from the High Court.
‘Political conspiracy’
Mr. Marandi alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Mr. Soren had orchestrated a spoof, cancelling exams as part of a calculated political conspiracy to quell the student agitation. The government had invited students for talks with legal experts and promised dialogue but subsequently reneged, issuing a decree behind closed doors to cancel the examinations.
Mr. Marandi said he had urged the government to file a caveat so that it could present its case before any stay order was issued by the court. “Old habits die hard,” he remarked, noting that the Chief Minister had ultimately proved his apprehensions correct.
“The government misled the students into ending their protest; unaware of the political conspiracy, the students fell victim to this ploy,” Mr. Marandi alleged. “It appears the government seeks to shield those who were recruited improperly and the officials responsible for such irregular appointments. That is why we consistently demanded a CBI inquiry to identify and punish both the beneficiaries of irregular recruitment and the perpetrators behind it, while ensuring that candidates selected through transparent and proper procedures do not suffer any harm,” he said.
Published – August 20, 2026 04:37 pm IST
