The Jharkhand High Court denied the state government’s request for a week’s extension to file its affidavit in the JSSC-CGL case, with Justice Deepak Roshan’s bench instead demanding a time-bound update on the CID investigation.
The government told the court a sealed-cover report on the CID probe’s progress would follow, but the bench flagged concerns about the pace of the investigation so far.
The court ordered the state to clarify its stand and respond within 48 hours, noting that the matter concerns numerous candidates’ futures and cannot face further delay.
The interim stay on 99 candidates appointed under Advertisement No. 10/2023 remains in place, with the case next listed for September 18.
The dispute stems from the government’s August 17 cancellation of the JSSC-CGL exam and related recruitment advertisements, after a prolonged student protest over alleged irregularities.
A parallel Supreme Court petition filed by activist Harisharan Devgan is separately seeking to transfer the investigation from the state CID to the CBI.
Successful JSSC-CGL candidates who had already secured appointments have previously staged protests, including a human chain and torchlight demonstrations, after the cancellation was announced.
Tuesday’s hearing was the latest in a series of court dates in the case since the cancellation, with the matter now set to return on September 18.
Justice Deepak Roshan is presiding over the case, which centers on the government’s August 17 cancellation of the JSSC-CGL exam and related recruitment advertisements.
The court’s interim stay protects 99 candidates appointed under Advertisement No. 10/2023, in a case filed by petitioner Akash Gaurav and 98 others.
The petitioners are represented by senior counsel and former Advocate General Rajeev Ranjan, along with advocate Shreya Mishra.
Senior advocate Meenakshi Arora is representing the Jharkhand government in the case.
The matter also covers cancelled recruitment advertisements for the JPSC, CDPO and Food Safety Officer examinations, affecting thousands of applicants beyond the JSSC-CGL candidates.
High Court of Jharkhand, Ranchi, Wikimedia Commons, CC0
