The Jharkhand High Court’s waiting game just extended the agony for hundreds of government employees who suddenly found their jobs in jeopardy. On Thursday, a bench headed by Justice Deepak Roshan reserved its order after hearing petitions that directly challenge the state’s decision to terminate services based on the cancellation of recruitment exams. This isn't a routine procedural delay; it’s the final hurdle before the court decides whether the government can legally strip citizens of their employment based on a blanket cancellation rather than individual guilt.
The legal battle stems from a notification issued on August 18, which voided approximately 23 examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) and the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) since 2014. The move effectively targeted successful candidates who had already been inducted into government services. Senior advocates Rajiv Ranjan, Indrajit Sinha, and Amritansh Vats argued that this action was arbitrary. They pointed out that the Special Investigation Team (SIT), tasked with probing alleged irregularities, has been active for nearly two years without filing a single chargesheet.
The petitioners’ case rests on a simple legal principle: collective punishment without individual culpability is unjust. The counsels submitted that the SIT has not established any nexus between the affected candidates and the alleged wrongdoing. Without specific evidence or a chargesheet pinning down individual misconduct, they argued, terminating every successful candidate from the 2014 batch onward is an overreach. The court had already extended the stay on these terminations on Wednesday, providing temporary relief, but the final verdict remains the crux of the matter.
Defending the state’s move, Advocate General Rohitashya Roy and senior advocate Meenakshi Arora maintained that the investigation is still ongoing. They told the court that the probe has uncovered “irregularities” and foul play at various levels of the examination process. For the government, the cancellation was a necessary step to cleanse the recruitment system. For the employees, it’s an existential threat to their careers and financial stability.
With arguments concluded, the court has paused to review the legal merits of the state’s mass termination order. No specific date has been announced for the judgment, leaving the petitioners and the state government in a state of suspended animation. The next move will come from the bench, which must decide if the lack of a chargesheet invalidates the government’s blanket cancellation of decades-old recruitment processes.