The Supreme Court on Friday ordered the CBI to go ahead with its probe in the merit scam allegedly having taken place in several recruitments made by the JPSC.
Hearing petitions from the State Government, CBI and others, the apex court also put aside the Jharkhand High Court from the monitoring of the investigation.
“The Court has amended its own order passed in 2014 and has ordered for a CBI probe in 12 cases related to irregularities having taken place in the recruitments done by the JPSC over the years. It has also said in its order that the High Court would not monitor the investigation and the 162 officials under scanner for getting recruited by fraudulent means would continue getting their salaries,” said advocate Rajeev Kumar who had appeared for a petitioner in the Jharkhand HC.
The Jharkhand High Court had in June 2012 directed the CBI to investigate selection of candidates but later the SC had stayed it in August 2012. The apex court went on rejecting the demand of a CBI probe and ordered in 2014 that there was no need of involving the agency into it since it was a ‘service matter’.
“We, State Government and CBI had appealed to review the order and now the restriction has been vacated. The CBI would continue a probe freely into the cases,” said Rajeev Kumar on Friday.
Cases in which FIRs were lodged comprise the first and second civil services examinations conducted by JPSC, Cabinet nod to ensure locals policy in grade III-IV jobsappointment of pharmacists and junior and assistant engineers and irregularities in the appointments of deputy registrars of Sido Kanho Murmu University and Ranchi University.
Initially, the JPSC cases were being investigated by the state vigilance bureau after then Governor MOH Farook, on July 9, 2010, ordered FIRs to be lodged against 32 persons, including all commission members, chairman and secretary, for grave irregularities, forgery, interpolation and fraud in conducting the second civil services exams.