Jharkhand HC extends stay on cancellation of 11th, 13th JPSC appointments
The Jharkhand High Court on Friday extended its interim stay on the termination of candidates appointed through the 11th and 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations, allowing the affected employees to continue in their posts for now.
The court also appointed retired high court judge Justice Gautam Kumar Choudhary to supervise and monitor the CID investigation into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the JPSC and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
The court said candidates summoned by the CID’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) who allege harassment during questioning can approach the committee headed by Justice Choudhary.
The state government’s counter-affidavit was taken on record by the bench on Friday. The matter will next be heard on October 7.
The court had on August 20 stayed the implementation of government notifications cancelling appointments made through the 11th and 13th JPSC examinations. The stay was also extended to the cancellation of appointments of Food Safety Officers.
While permitting the selected candidates to remain in service, the court had clarified that those found to have obtained appointments through unfair means could face termination or other appropriate action after the investigation and court proceedings conclude.
The state government had issued cancellation notifications on August 18 following an ongoing CID investigation into alleged irregularities in the recruitment examinations.
On September 15, the High Court directed the government to submit its response by September 18 in petitions challenging the cancellation of the appointments. The government had sought four weeks to file its counter-affidavit, but the court rejected the request, citing the large number of affected candidates and government employees and the need for an expedited hearing.
The petitions were filed by Ramesh Oraon and others, whose counsel argued that the cancellation placed the employment of several candidates who had successfully cleared the examinations at risk.
with inputs from PTI
