Jharkhand HC stays notifications cancelling appointment of government staff through 11th to 13th JPSC exams

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The Jharkhand High Court also stayed the operation of the order cancelling the appointments of food safety officers. File | Photo Credit: The Hindu

The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday (August 20, 2026) stayed the State government order cancelling the appointment of government employees recruited through the 11th to 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations.

The Jharkhand government had issued a notification on August 18, cancelling 22 recruitment examinations, including the 11th to 13th JPSC examinations, after weeks of public protest about alleged irregularities.

After hearing arguments from all parties, the Bench of Justice Deepak Roshan stayed the State’s decision to cancel the recruitments from the 11th–13th JPSC. The High Court also stayed an order cancelling the appointments of food safety officers.

The Court asked the State to furnish its reply by September 15, the next date of hearing.

Also Read | JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch calls off stir after Jharkhand govt scraps 22 recruitment exams

During the hearing, Justice Roshan orally remarked that since the State government itself has ordered the CID to investigate the entire matter, no one can be removed from a permanent job without adhering to the principles of natural justice. The decision to cancel the 11th to 13th JPSC results was challenged by Sonam Kumari and Deepmala, while the matter concerning the food Safety Officer recruitment was challenged by Saurav Singh.

The petitioner’s advocates Kumar Harsh and Amritansh Vats informed the court that neither an FIR nor any departmental action had been initiated in this matter. The court inquired whether there was any fact-finding report regarding the issue and asked if a regular appointment could be cancelled simply by issuing an order. The court also noted that numerous police officers and Deputy Collectors (serving as magistrates) recruited through these examinations had been deployed to manage the Shravani Mela in Deoghar, and the sudden termination of their services was causing inconvenience to the general public.

Jharkhand’s Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi questioned the intentions of Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s government, following the High Court’s stay on the government’s decision to cancel the JPSC and food safety officer appointments.

In a post on X, Mr. Marandi said he had expressed apprehensions from the very beginning regarding the government’s ill intentions towards students. He noted that when the government bypassed proper legal procedures and issued arbitrary, high-handed decrees announcing the sudden cancellation of the JPSC and JSSC examinations and appointments, he had predicted that the decision would not stand and could face a stay order from the High Court.

Mr. Marandi alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Mr. Soren had orchestrated a spoof, cancelling exams as part of a calculated political conspiracy to quell the student agitation.