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A very relieving and big news is coming out from the administrative corridors of Jharkhand for the youth and newly appointed officers of the state. After the strict stance and clear instructions of the Jharkhand High Court, the Department of Personnel, Administrative Reforms and Official Language of the state government has taken an important decision and issued an order that 1340 officers selected in various departments through the JSSC-CGL examination will continue to work on their posts as before. Some time ago, after the state government canceled the examinations and advertisements, suddenly clouds of crisis started looming over the future and career of these officers, but now after the situation became clear at the administrative level, all these officers have heaved a sigh of relief. Let us understand this entire incident and every aspect related to the court order in detail.
What was the whole matter and why was the exam cancelled?
This whole controversy started when around 1340 officers selected through the Graduate Level Combined Competitive Examination (CGL)-2023 of Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) were appointed in various departments. Later, on the basis of facts revealed during the examination process, paper leak allegations and CID investigation, the state government and the cabinet had taken a major decision to cancel this entire recruitment process. After this sudden decision of the government, not only the services of these 1340 officers were terminated, but there was also confusion in many departments regarding their salary payment and administrative work. The affected officers immediately approached the Jharkhand High Court against this unexpected action and challenged this step of the government.
Historical intervention of the High Court and the principle of ‘natural justice’
While hearing this case, the Jharkhand High Court court expressed serious concern over the decision of the state government under which such a large number of regular appointments were being canceled without adequate and transparent process. The court clearly stated in its interim order that prima facie no regular appointment can be terminated without following the ‘Principles of Natural Justice’ and without giving a fair opportunity of presenting the case. On this logical and justified basis, the High Court stayed the implementation of the government notification through which the advertisement of CGL-2023 and the appointments related to it were cancelled. After this strict and clear direction of the court, it became impossible for the government to immediately implement its decision and a new ray of hope arose for the affected employees.
Official letter from Personnel Department and instructions to DCs of all districts
Ensuring compliance with the court order, the Department of Personnel, Government of Jharkhand has sent an official and detailed letter to the Additional Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, Secretaries, Secretaries of JSSC, Divisional Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners (DCs) of all the districts of all the departments of the state. It has been made clear in this instruction that under the order of the High Court, these 1340 CGL officers will continue to work in their respective offices as before. With the issuance of this official order, all those administrative hurdles and doubts, which had remained the subject of discussion within the departments for the last few days, have come to a complete end. Now the pending salaries and other administrative work of these officers will also proceed smoothly, due to which stability has returned in the administrative system.
What are the further preparations on the administrative and legal front?
Although the High Court has currently stayed the notification of the state government and allowed these officers to continue working in their posts, the legal process of this case is not yet completely over. The court has directed the state government to file its counter affidavit in this case giving detailed details related to the CID investigation and the action taken so far. The date of the next hearing on this entire matter has also been fixed, where the further legal direction will be decided on the basis of the arguments of both the parties and the response of the government. Till then, it is a big relief for the administrative structure of Jharkhand that these 1340 officers remain in their posts and work as before.