Jharkhand cancels the 2024 JSSC-CGL exam after a 24-day student protest, citing alleged irregularities and investigation findings. The Hemant Soren government orders a wider probe into recruitment exams conducted by JPSC and JSSC since 2014, announces examination reforms, and forms a committee to strengthen transparency and prevent malpractice.
The Jharkhand government has decided to cancel the 2024 Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination following 24 days of protests by students demanding action over alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.
The decision was taken during a special cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday. The meeting continued for around four and a half hours before the government announced a series of measures concerning recruitment examinations and examination reforms in the state.
Addressing the media after the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Hemant Soren said the government had accepted the major demand of the protesting students and ordered the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination conducted in 2024. The government has also cancelled all competitive examinations conducted in the state by the agency TDPL.
Soren said the decision regarding the cancellation of the 14th JPSC Preliminary Test and backlog civil service examinations had already been taken during earlier discussions with the protesting students. The latest decision extends the government’s action to the JSSC-CGL examination amid findings from investigations into alleged irregularities.
According to the Chief Minister, investigations conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and the Crime Investigation Department (CID) into the JSSC-CGL examination have revealed several serious facts. He referred to alleged collusion between different agencies involved in the examination process. In light of these findings, the government decided that cancelling the examination was necessary.
The government has also ordered a comprehensive investigation into recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and JSSC from 2014 onwards. The wider investigation will examine the recruitment process over the period and seek to identify those responsible for alleged irregularities.
As part of its effort to overhaul the examination system, the government has constituted a committee headed by IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal. The committee will examine the existing examination process, identify areas requiring improvement and submit recommendations for reforms.
The government has also invited suggestions from the public through an online portal as part of the examination reform process. Officials are expected to consider measures aimed at improving transparency and strengthening safeguards throughout competitive examinations.
Soren stressed that the new examination system should leave no scope for malpractice at any stage. The proposed reforms will cover several aspects, including the conduct of examinations, question-paper security, the involvement of examination agencies, evaluation procedures and the declaration of results.
The Chief Minister also said the government has enacted strong laws to protect the interests of students and is prepared to enforce those provisions. He emphasised that the administration does not want the future and confidence of Jharkhand’s youth to be affected by irregularities in recruitment examinations.
During the 24-day protest, representatives of the students held discussions with government ministers and reached agreement on several issues concerning examination reforms. The government said the measures agreed upon during those discussions will now be implemented.
The administration already has a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for conducting competitive examinations. According to Soren, strict implementation of the existing SOP could have prevented the irregularities. The government has therefore decided to strengthen the SOP by adding further provisions and safeguards.
The cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination is being regarded as a significant development for the protesting students, who had maintained pressure on the government for action over the alleged irregularities.
However, despite accepting the demand for cancellation of the examination and ordering broader investigations and reforms, the government has not yet taken a decision on the students’ demand for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged irregularities.
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The government’s latest measures are now expected to place greater focus on transparency, accountability and security in Jharkhand’s recruitment examination system, particularly as the wider investigation into examinations conducted since 2014 proceeds.
