4 min readUpdated: Aug 21, 2026 02:13 AM IST
The Jharkhand High Court on Thursday stayed the state government’s decision to cancel the 11th-13th Jharkhand Combined Civil Services examinations and a Food Safety Officer recruitment exam, observing that “a regular appointment cannot be disturbed/terminated without following principles of natural justice.”
The development comes a day after those protesting alleged irregularities in government exams called off their agitation, based on the Hemant Soren government’s promise to cancel these and some other examinations.
In his order on Thursday, Justice Deepak Roshan stayed the operation of the government notification cancelling the appointments of 342 officers and ordered their reinstatement. The court passed a similar order regarding the Food Safety Officer (FSO) 2024 recruitment exams for 56 posts, which was among the 22 recruitment exams the government had cancelled to bring an end to the agitation.
The Court, according to the order uploaded late on Thursday night, observed that “a regular appointment cannot be disturbed/terminated without following principles of natural justice,” noting that “till now, there is no material with the respondents to show as to which candidates are involved in corruption or else; inasmuch as, the Investigating Agency is already in action.”
The court was hearing a petition challenging the government’s blanket cancellation of these appointments on the ground that those impacted had not been given sufficient opportunity to be heard.
“The court has directed that all those whose appointments were cancelled be reinstated and paid their salaries. The state has also been asked to file a supplementary counter-affidavit explaining the basis on which the examination and appointments were cancelled. The court has also ordered that their dues be paid,” advocate Arpan Ekka, who represented the petitioners in the high court, told The Indian Express.
The court directed the petitioners to file an undertaking stating that “the final order passed by the trial court in connected criminal case shall be binding on them and the Government would be free to take appropriate action in accordance with law.”
The 11th, 12th and 13th Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Examination took place in the same year – 2024. Around 3.5 lakh candidates appeared, and 7,011 were shortlisted for the mains. As many as 864 candidates cleared the mains and were called for an interview. Eventually, 342 candidates joined their respective postings after appointment letters were distributed to them at an event held at Morabadi Ground in Ranchi on November 28, 2025.
Though data on the number of applicants for the FSO exam was not immediately available, 149 had reached the interview stage before 56 were selected.
Ashutosh Kumar, one of the petitioners and a serving deputy collector, said all 342 officers appointed through the 11th–13th Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Examination had challenged the decision. The state has been given until September 15 to file its counter-affidavit.
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The Jharkhand government had cancelled 22 recruitment examinations via a notification on August 18. This came after a 26-day protest and hunger strike over alleged irregularities in government exams.
The protests began on July 25 in Ranchi, seeking government action over alleged irregularities in various examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
As the agitation gathered steam and pressure mounted, Chief Minister Soren announced the cancellation, prompting the protesters to call off their agitation on Wednesday. However, his government found itself facing a fresh challenge: of tackling those who had cleared the exams and were either supposed to get government jobs or had already joined.
The petitions related to the 11th–13th Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Examination and the Food Safety Officer recruitment exams are among a series of legal challenges against the government’s decision. The petitions challenge the government’s power to cancel recruitments and appointments of those who have already joined government service through a blanket notification.
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The Senior Additional Advocate General representing the state was unavailable for comment.
Further proceedings in both cases will continue on September 15.
