NEW DELHI: After holding a meeting with a delegation of protesting students, the Jharkhand government on Sunday said it could not agree to the demand for cancellation of the CGL examination, claiming that it was conducted under court orders and that selected candidates are already employed.Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Jharkhand minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu said the government had agreed to “98 percent” of the points raised by the protesting students and decided to address the alleged irregularities through a “two-pronged approach”.He said the criminal aspects associated with the 14th JPSC examination would be investigated by the CID and the Enforcement Directorate would be requested to probe alleged illicit financial transactions.“Following three days of talks and extensive consultations, and acting on the instructions of CM Hemant Soren, the government decided to address the irregularities associated with the 14th JPSC and the 2023-25 backlog recruitments through a two-pronged approach. Criminal aspects will be investigated by the CID; furthermore, given the financial implications and evidence of illicit financial transactions, a request will be made for an ED investigation,” the minister said.“Following these discussions, student representatives demanded the cancellation of the CGL examination. The government clearly stated that, as the examination was conducted in accordance with the directives of the High Court and the Supreme Court, and is currently under their monitoring, it lacks the authority to cancel it. The government offered to oversee the investigation by constituting a monitoring committee headed by a retired judge; however, the students refused to accept this proposal. We believe the government agreed to 98 percent of the points raised,” he added.“The remaining two percent, specifically the demand to cancel the CGL exam, could not be met because the government cannot unilaterally cancel an exam conducted under court orders, where results have been published and successful candidates are already employed. To instill confidence among the students, the government was willing to form a committee headed by a retired judge to oversee the CID’s work, thereby providing a channel for students to voice their concerns if they felt the CID was not listening to them. Overall, after these processes and efforts, we believe the government demonstrated genuine goodwill and sensitivity toward the students in its attempt to bring the agitation to a close,” he further said.Meanwhile, the protesters maintained that their agitation would continue and that a march to the Vidhan Sabha would be held on August 10 until the case is transferred to the CBI.“Let me clarify that our Vidhan Sabha gherao will continue peacefully. Our demand is for a CBI inquiry; we will not compromise on that,” Kunal, a student leader, said.“This was the second round of talks with the government delegation. Regarding the specifics, particularly the 14th JPSC, JPSC Backlog 2023 and JPSC Backlog 2025 exams, the government has decided to consider cancelling all three. Furthermore, the government has proposed CID and ED investigations into all exams conducted by the TDPL agency. Additionally, the government has accepted almost all of our demands concerning reforms, with the exception of one or two issues, such as age relaxation, on which no consensus could be reached.“Regarding the CGL exam, the students demanded a CBI inquiry; however, the government did not agree to this. Instead, the government stated that a judicial inquiry would be conducted under the chairmanship of a retired judge, and if financial irregularities are detected, the ED would also be involved. Nevertheless, we students continue to demand a CBI inquiry,” Ravindra Paswan, another student leader, said.“The agitation will continue; the agitation is still ongoing,” he added.The protesting students are seeking reforms in the recruitment examination system and action over alleged irregularities in various JPSC and JSSC examinations.
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The JCM submitted five demands, including cancellation of the 14th JPSC Civil Services Examination.The NSUI submitted six demands, including a CID investigation into all JPSC and JSSC examinations under suspicion within 90 days. It also demanded the establishment of a Jharkhand Testing Agency on the lines of the National Testing Agency.The ACS demanded that tribal and regional languages be included as qualifying papers in recruitment examinations. It also sought cancellation of examinations in which irregularities were found.Meanwhile, 19 people have so far been arrested in connection with the case, while former JPSC panel chairperson L Khiangte has been questioned four times since July 28.
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