Source Live law
RANCHI — In a major development providing immediate relief to hundreds of civil servants, the Jharkhand High Court has stayed the state government’s decision to cancel appointments made through the 11th–13th Jharkhand Combined Civil Services Examination.
The interim order, passed by a bench presided over by Justice Deepak Roshan, also directed the immediate reinstatement of the affected officers alongside the disbursement of their pending salaries.
Key Court Directives
Interim Stay Granted: The court suspended the operation of the state government’s notification that had cancelled the appointments of 342 civil service recruits.
Immediate Reinstatement: The bench ordered the state to reinstate all officers who were removed under the blanket notification and release their dues.
State Government Response: The state has been directed to submit a supplementary counter-affidavit explaining the legal and factual basis for cancelling the appointments without individual hearings. The matter is scheduled for further hearing in mid-September.
The Background
The ruling comes in response to writ petitions filed by affected officers challenging the state’s blanket order. The petitioners argued that cancelling recruitments post-appointment without issuing show-cause notices or affording an opportunity of being heard constituted a direct violation of natural justice.
The controversy began following widespread student demonstrations and hunger strikes over alleged irregularities in multiple state competitive exams. In response to the protests, the state government had issued a notification on August 18 cancelling 22 recruitment examinations and putting dozens of others under probe.
The High Court’s intervention temporarily halts the administrative fallout, ensuring status quo for the serving appointees while the judicial review continues.
