Ranchi, Sep 18 (IANS): The Jharkhand High Court on Friday extended its stay on the state government’s decision to cancel appointments made through the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) Child Development Project Officer (CDPO) examination and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) Combined Graduate Level (CGL) recruitment process.
The court also appointed a retired High Court judge to oversee the investigation into the alleged irregularities in the recruitment exercises.
A bench of Justice Deepak Roshan heard a batch of petitions challenging the government’s decision to annul appointments made through various recruitment examinations, including the JPSC CDPO and JSSC-CGL exams.
During the hearing, the court orally observed that while the material available so far suggests that not all appointments were made in a fair manner, it is equally true that not every appointment was tainted.
The court expressed concern over the lengthy recruitment process followed by the JPSC, noting that it often takes two to three years to conduct examinations and complete appointments. In such circumstances, the bench observed, a blanket cancellation of appointments could adversely affect many officials against whom no individual wrongdoing has been established.
To ensure impartial scrutiny of the allegations, the court appointed retired High Court judge Gautam Kumar Choudhary to monitor the investigation, while retired IPS officer R.K. Malik was designated as the nodal officer for the probe.
During the proceedings, both the Jharkhand government and the JPSC submitted their responses before the court. In its affidavit, the state government defended its decision to cancel the JSSC-CGL examination, arguing that the entire recruitment process had been vitiated by alleged irregularities.
According to the government, distinguishing between genuinely successful candidates and those who may have unfairly benefited had become difficult.
The government cited Supreme Court guidelines that permit cancellation of an entire examination when the recruitment process is found to be irreparably compromised, and it becomes impossible to separate valid selections from tainted ones. On this basis, it justified its decision to scrap the CGL examination.
The affidavit further stated that confidential examination-related work, including question paper printing and distribution to examination centres, had been entrusted to ICN Technology.
According to the government, 28 individuals, including the company’s CEO Somansh Prakash, have been arrested in connection with the alleged exam scam, while notices have been issued to 265 people.
The government also claimed that the investigation had uncovered evidence suggesting that candidates were allegedly coached with answers at locations in Nepal, Asansol, Kolkata, Bihar, Jharia and Bokaro.
Of the 28 candidates taken to Nepal, 10 were successful in the CGL examination, the affidavit stated. The investigation is still underway.
Senior advocates Rajeev Ranjan, Indrajeet Sinha, Amritansh Vats, Kumar Harsh, Sonal Tiwari and Subhash Rasik Soren, among others, appeared for the petitioners.
The state government was represented by senior advocate Meenakshi Arora and Advocate General Rohitashwa Roy, while the JPSC was represented by advocates Sanjay Piperwal and Prince Kumar.
