The 15-day long fast unto death staged by candidates whose answer books were rejected in the 5th civil services examination conducted by Jharkhand Public Services Commission (JPSC) was called off on Thursday. This came to pass after the Public Interest litigation filed by the protestors was accepted by Jharkhand High Court.
The case will be heard on January 6, 2016 but this end of demonstration does not point towards the end of protest against JPSC, stated the candidates, as legal battle against discrepancies in public service commission will continue. Although the court has not stopped the ongoing interviews for successful candidates, it instructed JPSC to withhold the final results for 5th civil services examination till the court makes a ruling in the matter.
“We have been supporting the protesting candidates since the very beginning, and the support will continue. We are not putting much faith in JPSC and State Government considering the apathy they have shown, we believe that High Court will consider the pleas of the candidates. The matter will also be taken up in the State Assembly,” stated Silli MlA Amit Mahto after he offered coconut water to fasting aspirants.
Bharatiya Suraaj Dal president PK Siddharth, who also argued the case on candidates’ behalf before the High Court bench headed by Chief Justice Virendra Singh, emphasised the need to put an end to ‘rampant corruption in JPSC’. “Irregularities in JPSC civil services examination are commonplace and the same was repeated even this time. To help some crack the examination, many deserving candidates were rejected without concrete reasons,” Siddharth said.
In his pleas made before the High Court bench, Siddharth made three prayers – to withhold the final result till the hearing of the case, to appoint a committee under a retired High Court judge to look into the irregularities during the 5th JPSC civil services mains examination result and constitute a committee of experts to review the workings and system of JPSC to promote transparency and curb corruption in the organisation. “Every circle of examinations conducted by JPSC goes on for more than a year, which is sheer wastage of candidates’ time. There have been several loopholes which allowed corruption, and need to be plugged for the sake of future aspirants,” said the BSD leader.