JSSC-CGL exam cancellation triggers protests, over 2,000 employees face job uncertainty

Jharkhand's decision to cancel the JSSC-CGL examination has triggered protests among over 2,000 appointed employees facing possible job loss. Affected candidates have demanded individual action against wrongdoers and a CBI probe, while the government defended the cancellation amid alleged recruitment irregularities

Ranchi: The Jharkhand government’s decision to cancel the JSSC-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination has triggered a crisis in the state administration, with the functioning of several departments and offices getting affected as over 2,000 employees appointed through the recruitment process face the risk of losing their jobs. Many of the successful candidates had already joined government service after December 2025 and were posted across various departments, including Finance, Home, Road Transport, Labour, Information and Public Relations, and other administrative offices.

The sudden announcement late on Monday to cancel the JSSC-CGL exam following student protests alleging irregularities in the recruitment left those working in various departments to take to the streets and also stage protests outside the State Secretariat Project Building in Dhurwa.

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The development has left several offices facing uncertainty over manpower and the continuation of responsibilities assigned to the newly recruited employees. The impact was visible in the state capital on Tuesday as a large number of affected employees gathered outside the Jharkhand secretariat and other government offices, demanding that the government identify individual wrongdoers instead of cancelling the recruitment process and terminating the services of all successful candidates.

“Tell us our crime. Don’t throw us out,” said assistant section officer Kaushal Kumar. Ashish Minz, appointed as a labour enforcement officer in Khunti, said the government’s decision had shattered the careers of candidates who had left other jobs after securing the government post. “Prior to my appointment, I worked as a development officer at LIC from 2019 to 2022, and then at the Food Corporation of India from 2022 till January 2026, before joining here,” Minz said. He said he had prepared for the examination while working and secured the post through the prescribed selection process.

Prince Priyadarshi, an assistant section officer, said candidates appointed to posts including ASO, circle inspector, block supply officer, block welfare officer, labour enforcement officer, planning assistant and junior secretariat assistant had joined after court proceedings. The government’s decision came after the cabinet of Chief Minister Hemant Soren decided to cancel the JSSC-CGL exam and recruitment examinations conducted by outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd since 2014.

While any notification or statement is yet to come from the government, calculations point out that besides about 2,000 JSSC-CGL jobs, also on stake are about 1,000 other jobs through JPSC. The candidates have demanded a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities and say they are ready to face action if found guilty. They contend that the recruitment process had already undergone judicial scrutiny and that many appointments were made after court proceedings. The government, meanwhile, has defended the cancellation as necessary to restore students’ confidence in the recruitment system.

Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar said the affected candidates could seek legal recourse, while JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey acknowledged their anguish and said the party was sympathetic to them. CM Soren has announced an examination reforms committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal to recommend measures to strengthen the recruitment system besides a probe under a retired High Court judge.