Jharkhand Cancels JSSC-CGL Exam After 24 Days Of Student Protests

The Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand has cancelled the 2024 JSSC-CGL examination after 24 days of student protests, accepting one of the key demands of the agitators.

All competitive examinations conducted in the state by the agency TDPL have been cancelled.

The decision was taken at a special Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Monday following a four-and-a-half-hour discussion.

Soren said the cancellation of the 14th JPSC PT and backlog civil service examinations had already been agreed upon during earlier talks with protesting students.

The government has now ordered a comprehensive investigation into all recruitment examinations conducted by the JPSC and JSSC since 2014.

According to Soren, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) and Crime Investigation Department (CID) investigated alleged irregularities in the JSSC-CGL examination. The probes uncovered several findings, including alleged collusion between various agencies.

The government will examine the entire recruitment process from 2014 onwards to identify those responsible for irregularities and initiate action against them.

A committee headed by IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal has been constituted to recommend reforms to the examination system.

The government has invited public suggestions through an online portal.

The Chief Minister said the revamped system would aim to eliminate malpractice at every stage. This would include examination conduct, question-paper security, agency roles, evaluation and declaration of results.

The government’s existing Standard Operating Procedure for competitive examinations will be strengthened with additional provisions.

Soren said agreed measures from discussions between protesting students and Ministers would now be implemented.

The cancellation is being viewed as a major victory for the protesting students.

The government has not yet decided on their demand for a CBI investigation into the alleged irregularities.

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