How many JPSC, JSSC exams have been cancelled in Jharkhand? Full list

After weeks of student protests in Ranchi, the Jharkhand government has cancelled 44 recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), citing alleged irregularities in the examination process.

The decision was taken at a special Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday. The state Personnel Department subsequently issued a notification confirming the cancellations.

Which exams have been cancelled?

The list covers recruitment tests for several government posts across different departments.

Among them are examinations for drug inspectors, assistant professors in government engineering and medical colleges, lecturers in government polytechnics, senior scientific officers, assistant conservators of forests and forest range officers.

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Recruitment tests for civil judges (junior division), assistant public prosecutors, deputy collectors, assistant engineers and dentists have also been cancelled.

Several editions of the Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Examination are included in the list. Other cancelled tests cover posts such as food safety officers, child development project officers, food analysts, deputy directors (prosecution), project managers, inspectors of factories and boilers, agriculture officers, geologists and chemists.

Government plans fast-track court, exam reforms

Alongside cancelling the examinations, the Jharkhand government has decided to approach the High Court with a request to establish a fast-track court for cases linked to the alleged irregularities.

The government has also formed a committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal to recommend reforms in the functioning and examination systems of JPSC and JSSC.

The committee has been given two months to submit its report.

Cancellation triggers fresh protests

The move, however, has not brought the student agitation to an end. Several candidates who cleared the examinations and were subsequently appointed to government posts have questioned the decision to cancel the tests.

The JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, which led the agitation at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, said it would decide its next course of action after getting clarity on the scope and implementation of the government's decisions.

The protesters have also continued to demand a central probe into the alleged irregularities.

Also Read | CM Hemant Soren scraps JSSC-CGL exam, CBI probe into recruitment tests; Mahto ends hunger strike

Candidates demand answers

Some candidates have argued that cancelling an examination after appointments could unfairly affect those who cleared the tests.

"Tell us our crime. Don't throw us out," Assistant Section Officer Kaushal Kumar told PTI, demanding a CBI probe or an independent investigation into the alleged irregularities instead of cancellation of the JSSC-CGL exam.