Frustrations simmered among protesters in Jharkhand on Saturday, who accused the Hemant Soren government of ‘betraying them’ by failing to properly present their case at the High Court in its decision to cancel several recruitment exams.
The decision by the JMM-led government to cancel 22 job exams and order a probe into 23 others quelled the 26-day stir against alleged irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment exam. However, another sector of protesters moved to the High Court fearing job loss.
On Friday, the Jharkhand High Court stayed a number of government notifications canceling recruitment exams, causing disgruntlement among the exam protesters.
Hearing the pleas, a single bench of Justice Deepak Roshan stayed the Jharkhand government’s decision, cancelling the appointments of child development project officers and those recruited through the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level Examination.
Members of the JPSC JSSC Reforms Manch, which has been spearheading the stir, took out a protest on Friday to the Jharkhand Public Service Commission office. The agitators attempted to burn effigies of Chief Minister Hemant Soren and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at the prominent Albert Chowk.They also questioned the government’s handling of the core proceedings, alleging that senior law officers were not present to effectively contested the petitions.
Devendra Nath Mahtao, the JLKM leader, announced recruitment system reforms yatra from August 24th and warned of possible gherao of the CM’s residence if the government failed to effectively defend its position before the High Court on the next hearing, that is September 15th.
Meanwhile, the CID widening its probe into the alleged examination irregularities on Friday urged the public to furnish any information available regarding the anomalies. So far, 37 suspects in connection with the alleged irregularities in the 2023 JSSC Graduate Level Combined Competitive Examination have been questioned.