Jharkhand: JSSC-CGL exam cancellation to end one protest triggers another as 2,000 fear job loss

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JPSC-JSSC aspirants wave the national flag as they celebrate after the Jharkhand government accepted their demands and cancelled the JSSC-CGL exam and all exams conducted on behalf of TDPL, in Ranchi on August 17, 2026. | Photo Credit: ANI

A day after the Jharkhand government cancelled the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination in response to a weeks-long agitation by hundreds of protesters in Ranchi, the outrage of those on the flip side of the decision has started to emerge. Candidates who had successfully cleared the exam and are now government employees are staging a protest outside the Cabinet Secretariat.

The cancellation has affected 1,975 employees, many of whom were stopped by police from entering their workplaces at the Secretariat on Tuesday morning. They said that they have not received any notice from the government that they have been terminated from their jobs or that they do not need to come to the office.

The Jharkhand government has not only cancelled the JSSC-CGL exam but also all other exams conducted by the tainted agency, TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL), since 2014. Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced the decision on Monday night, following a special Cabinet meeting.

There were 502 posts to be filled through ten examinations conducted by TDPL, while 1,932 candidates had secured employment through the JSSC-CGL exam, which was conducted in 2023, with appointments being finalised in 2025.

The protesting employees pointed out that, until Monday, they had been employed at the Secretariat, but have now become jobless overnight following the government’s decision. One such employee said that he had even given up jobs in other departments, including those under the Central government, to work in his home State. Many alleged that the government had decided to cancel the entire examination without hearing their side, and threatened to take legal action against the decision.

“We had passed the exam as part of the selection process, secured appointments, and were already serving on post. The cancellation of the exam has put both our jobs and our futures in darkness,” said an employee shouting slogans against the government.

Another protester said, “If any irregularities did happen during the examination, a fair investigation should be conducted, and action should be taken against those found guilty. It is unfair to hold the entire examination and all the candidates appointed through it responsible for the alleged irregularities. We should be allowed to present our side. We urge the government to reconsider the decision.”

The decision was taken after hundreds of students gathered at the Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium in Ranchi for 24 days, alleging irregularities in the JSSC- CGL exam, demanding its cancellation and an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch has continued its protest at the venue. Its leader Ravindra Paswan told The Hindu: “We are waiting for the official notification or the press release from the government site regarding whatever decision the government has taken after the special Cabinet meeting. We want to see the list of all examinations which have been cancelled so that the situation becomes clear. Our demand of the CBI inquiry is still pending.”

However, Devendra Nath Mahto, the Jharkhand Loktrantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKL) leader heading the JPSC-JSSC Abhyarthi Nyay Manch, ended his 16-day hunger strike at midnight on Monday.

“Historic victory of the Student Movement; now the battle for a new examination system begins. The struggle will continue—until the recruitment system becomes completely transparent, fair, and free from corruption,” he said after ending his hunger strike.

The Leader of Opposition in the Jharkhand Assembly, Babulal Marandi, said the State government was still “misleading students”.

“The Hemant government hatched a full-fledged plan in the Cabinet meeting to dupe students; justice remains incomplete without a CBI probe. The Jharkhand government is misleading students. Even those within the government are involved in the sale of jobs. Cancelling the exam is not the solution; the only solution is a CBI investigation,” Mr. Marandi told journalists in Ranchi.

Meanwhile, Jharkhand Congress in-charge K. Raju, along with the party’s State chief Keshav Mahto Kamlesh and other Congress Ministers and MLAs, met Mr. Soren at his official residence to express their gratitude for the Cabinet’s decisions taken in the interest of students.

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