Euphoric candidates take out Tricolour march
Surendra Soren
Ranchi
In a major relief to candidates appointed through the JSSC-CGL examination, the Jharkhand High Court on Friday stayed the state government’s August 18, 2026 order cancelling appointments made under Advertisement No. 10/2023.
The order came a day after the High Court stayed the government decision to scrap the 11th to 13th JPSC examinations and FSO recruitment exams. A single bench of Justice Deepak Roshan passed the interim order while hearing a petition filed by Ramesh decision to Oraon and others.
The court directed that the implementation and execution of the government order cancelling the appointments would remain stayed until the next hearing. The order has brought significant relief to the affected employees, many of whom had been protesting against the government’s decision.
The High Court directed all petitioners to file affidavits undertaking that the final decision of the lower court in the related criminal case would be binding on them. The state government would remain free to take further action in accordance with law based on the outcome of the criminal proceedings.
Appearing for the petitioners, advocates Indrajit Sinha and Amritansh Vats argued that the candidates had been duly appointed through the prescribed recruitment process and that their appointments had subsequently been cancelled without providing them an opportunity of being heard or following due process.
The Advocate General, appearing for the state government, submitted that large-scale irregularities and malpractice had taken place in the examination. He informed the court that the matter was being investigated by the CID and that several arrests had already been made.
The court directed the state government to file a detailed response along with the status of the CID investigation by September 7, 2026. The petitioners have been directed to file their rejoinder by September 14, while the next hearing has been scheduled for September 15, 2026.
The court also directed the Advocate General to inform the concerned department so that the petitioners and other similarly placed employees could be allowed to continue in service until final disposal of the petitions.
The court observed, prima facie, that regular appointments could not be terminated without following the principles of natural justice. It further held that the balance of convenience and interests of justice, at this stage, favoured the petitioners, as they had been removed from service abruptly without being given an opportunity to present their case.
A total of 1,927 candidates were appointed in December 2025 to posts including Assistant Branch Officer, Junior Secretariat Assistant, Labour Enforcement Officer, Block Welfare Officer, Block Supply Officer, Circle Inspector-cum-Kanungo and Planning Assistant through the recruitment process.
The High Court’s interim order triggered celebrations among successful candidates. The affected employees had been staging protests for the past four days near the Jharkhand Secretariat and Dhurwa Golchakkar, demanding protection of their appointments.
Following the court’s stay order, the candidates took out a Tricolour March in Ranchi. The protesters described the court’s intervention as a major victory and said the order had strengthened their faith in the judicial process.
“This is the strength of the judiciary, which has once again shown that the truth may be troubled, but it cannot be defeated,” the protesters said.
