The Jharkhand High Court has rejected a request from the state government for a four-week extension in the JSSC-CGL cancellation case.
Instead, the court gave the government two additional days and ordered a sealed-envelope status report, with its interim stay on cancelled appointments still in effect.
The stay applies to appointments under Advertisement No. 10/2023, protecting 99 candidates in a petition filed by Akash Gaurav and 98 others.
The case also spans cancelled recruitment advertisements for the JPSC, JSSC CGL-2023, CDPO and Food Safety Officer exams, with the next hearing set for September 18 at 10:30 am.
The cancellations followed CM Hemant Soren’s August 17 announcement after a 24-day student protest, with a separate Supreme Court plea also seeking a CBI probe.
In parallel, a Supreme Court petition filed by activist Harisharan Devgan is separately seeking to transfer the recruitment-irregularities investigation from the state CID to the CBI.
Successful JSSC-CGL candidates who had already secured appointments staged protests, including a human chain and torchlight demonstrations, after the cancellation was first announced.
The Jharkhand High Court’s stay applies to appointments made under Advertisement No. 10/2023, granting temporary relief to 99 candidates who had already been appointed.
The stay order was originally issued on September 8, with the interim protection for the appointed candidates remaining in effect since.
Petitioner Akash Gaurav and 98 other affected candidates are represented by senior counsel and former Advocate General Rajeev Ranjan, along with advocate Shreya Mishra.
Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora represented the Jharkhand government at Tuesday’s hearing, where the state sought four weeks to file a detailed response.
The case also covers cancelled recruitment advertisements for the JPSC, JSSC CGL-2023, CDPO and Food Safety Officer examinations, affecting thousands of applicants.
The cancellations trace back to an August 17 announcement by Chief Minister Hemant Soren, made after a 24-day student protest over alleged recruitment irregularities.
High Court of Jharkhand, Ranchi, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
