Our Correspondent / Ranchi
The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday stayed the state government’s decision to cancel the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) 11th, 12th and 13th Combined Civil Services examinations, providing temporary relief to candidates selected through the examinations.
The court also stayed the government’s decision to cancel the Food Safety Officer examination and directed the state government to file its response in the matter. The case was heard by a bench headed by Justice Deepak Roshan following petitions challenging the government’s decision.
During the hearing, the court observed that even if a significant proportion of candidates were found to have entered government service through an improper process, the state government could not simply terminate their services without following due legal procedure. The court also directed that a fast-track mechanism be constituted to deal with the matter.
The next hearing has been scheduled for September 15.
Appointment dispute reaches High Court
The government’s decision to cancel the JPSC examinations was challenged by Saurabh Singh and Sonam Kumari through petitions filed before the High Court.
Sonam Kumari, who had been serving as a Deputy Collector in Hazaribagh, challenged the state government’s notification cancelling the examination. She had been selected through the 11th-13th JPSC Combined Civil Services Examination and subsequently left her teaching job in Gaya, Bihar, to join the Jharkhand government.
She received her appointment letter on November 24, 2025, and joined the state administration as a Deputy Collector. According to the petition, she had been performing her official responsibilities when the government subsequently cancelled the examination through its notification.
Her petition challenges the government’s decision issued through Memo No. 5404 dated August 18, 2026, which cancelled JPSC Advertisement No. 01/2024. She has sought quashing of the government notification and restoration of her service.
Training of around 200 Deputy Collectors disrupted
The government’s decision has also created uncertainty for around 200 newly appointed Deputy Collectors selected through the 11th, 12th and 13th JPSC examinations.
The probationary officers had recently completed training at the Shri Krishna Institute of Public Administration and were subsequently sent to various districts for field training as part of their probation.
With the cancellation of the examinations and appointments, their service status was thrown into uncertainty, bringing their ongoing training and field assignments to a halt. Several of the officers have reportedly started returning to Ranchi as they await clarity from the government and the court.
The situation has also affected administrative deployments in several districts.
Around 40 probationary Deputy Collectors had been deputed to Deoghar to assist with law-and-order arrangements at the Baba Baidyanath Dham, while another 23 probationary officers had been assigned magisterial duties at Basukinath in Dumka district.
Following the government’s cancellation order, these officers were removed from their respective duties, further adding to the administrative uncertainty.
Court intervention brings temporary relief
The High Court’s interim order has come at a crucial time for the selected candidates, many of whom had left previous employment and made significant career decisions after receiving appointments from the Jharkhand government.
The court’s decision to stay the cancellation order means the government’s action will remain subject to further judicial scrutiny. The state has now been asked to submit its response before the court.
The dispute is likely to have wider implications for the recruitment process, the validity of appointments made through the JPSC examination and the future of hundreds of candidates and probationary officers.
The matter will now come up for further hearing on September 15, when the court is expected to consider the government’s response and the legal challenges raised by the petitioners.