Ranchi: A fresh protest erupted in Jharkhand on Tuesday after government employees appointed through the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) recruitment process demonstrated outside the state Secretariat against the cancellation of the examination.
The protest came a day after Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced that the state government would cancel the JSSC-CGL examination and all examinations, results and selections associated with TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL) from 2014 onwards. The decision followed weeks of agitation by students and job aspirants who had alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.
The latest move, however, has created a new crisis for candidates who had already cleared the examinations and joined government service. Around 2,000 successful JSSC-CGL candidates are now worried that the cancellation could put their jobs at risk.
The appointed employees gathered outside Project Bhawan in Ranchi despite rain and raised slogans against the government's decision. They argued that they had secured their positions through a formal selection process and should not be punished for alleged irregularities for which they were not responsible.
Several employees also pointed out that some appointments were made after court proceedings. Prince Priyadarshi, who was appointed as an Assistant Section Officer, said selected candidates had joined service following a court verdict and questioned why they should lose their jobs without being given an opportunity to defend themselves.
The affected employees have demanded clarity from the government and a fair opportunity to present their case. Some have indicated that they may approach the courts if their appointments are cancelled, while others have threatened further protests.
The government, meanwhile, has maintained that the decision is aimed at ensuring transparency and accountability in the recruitment system. It has ordered an investigation into recruitment-related irregularities dating back to 2014 and announced measures to reform the examination process.
The controversy has now produced two opposing groups of candidates: students who welcomed the cancellation as a victory in their fight for a transparent recruitment system, and successful candidates who fear losing jobs they earned after clearing the examinations.
With legal and administrative questions still unresolved, the Jharkhand government faces the difficult task of balancing demands for a clean recruitment system with the employment rights of candidates who have already entered government service.
