“Tell us our crime. Don't throw us out.” The plea of successful candidates outside the Jharkhand Secretariat on Tuesday reflected the anxiety of around 2,000 people who fear losing their jobs following the state government's decision to cancel the JSSC-CGL examination.
The Jharkhand government on Monday night announced the cancellation of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) exam and all recruitment tests conducted by outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL) since 2014, amid sustained protests over alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations.
The cancellation was a key demand of the protesting job aspirants. However, the decision has triggered a fresh concern among nearly 2,000 candidates who had cleared the JSSC-CGL examination and are now working as government employees.
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The successful candidates said they were not opposed to an investigation into alleged irregularities but wanted an opportunity to defend themselves. Both the successful candidates and the protesting aspirants are now seeking a CBI probe.
Kaushal Kumar, an assistant section officer in the Jharkhand government, said, “Tell us our crime. Don't throw us out. We were appointed after a court order.”
Appealing outside the Jharkhand Secretariat, he said, “We have come with all documents. Don't cancel it (exams). Probe it. Do a CBI probe or whatever investigation you deem fit, but please don't do injustice to us.”
The candidates had attempted to meet Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday night while he was holding a marathon meeting with his cabinet colleagues. The meeting resulted in the government accepting the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch's demand to cancel recruitment exams over alleged irregularities.
The Manch has been leading a protest for more than two weeks against alleged corruption in recruitment examinations.
Another appointee, Chanda Kumari, questioned whether successful candidates had been given an adequate opportunity to defend themselves.
“Democracy means that 100 guilty may be spared, but no innocent should be punished,” she said, alleging that successful candidates were not given sufficient time to present their side before the decision was taken.
Kumari said she came from a poor background and had cleared the 14th JPSC examination and the forest range officer mains examination through hard work. She rejected allegations that all candidates appointed through the recruitment process had benefited from malpractice.
“We could not have bought all these jobs,” she said.
She alleged that successful candidates were being punished even before any wrongdoing had been established against them.
The candidates have also cited previous judicial proceedings to support their claim that their appointments were made through a process that had undergone scrutiny.
They said the recruitment process had been investigated and examined by courts, and that the High Court, in its December judgment, had rejected a demand for a CBI probe, holding that the existing SIT investigation was adequate.
The candidates are now seeking a clear distinction between those accused of wrongdoing and those who secured appointments through legitimate means.
Another protester, S K Singh, said the allegations had not been established against the successful candidates. Many had joined government posts after legal proceedings and had waited for years for their appointments, he said.
“You cannot throw us out without any rhyme or reason,” he said.
Kumar claimed that more than 500 successful candidates had left Central government jobs after securing appointments in Jharkhand.
“One resigned from a Level-6 central position, a job in the India Meteorological Department, to join a job here. Where would we go?” he said.
Some candidates have threatened to go on hunger strike and pursue further legal action.
The government has defended the cancellation as a step to restore confidence in the recruitment system.
Higher and Technical Education Minister Sudivya Kumar said the successful candidates could seek legal recourse. JMM spokesperson Manoj Pandey acknowledged their concerns and said the party was sympathetic to them.
“We are sympathetic to them,” Pandey said, while adding that fresh vacancies would create opportunities for deserving candidates. He also referred to a judicial inquiry headed by a retired judge.
Announcing the cancellation late Monday night, Chief Minister Hemant Soren said an exam reforms committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal would recommend measures to strengthen the recruitment examination process.
The government has said it will overhaul the examination system through the new reforms committee and ensure stricter enforcement of laws against unfair means in examinations.
