For over a week, hundreds of government job aspirants have been camping at Ranchi's Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into alleged irregularities in recruitment examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC). The protests, sparked by the 14th JPSC Combined Civil Services Examination, have since led to CID raids, multiple arrests, the resignation of the JPSC chairman and the postponement of several recruitment examinations.
What is JPSC?
The Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) is the state's constitutional body responsible for recruiting officers to the Jharkhand Civil Services and other Group A and Group B posts. Like the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), it conducts competitive examinations and recommends candidates for appointment to state government services. The Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), meanwhile, conducts examinations for Group C and other subordinate government posts.
Since Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in 2000, both commissions have faced allegations of irregularities, with several examinations ending up in court or under investigation. The latest controversy has once again put the state's recruitment system under scrutiny.
What triggered the controversy?
The controversy began after the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) declared the results of the 14th Combined Civil Services Preliminary Examination on July 2, shortlisting 2,204 candidates for the Main examination against 103 vacancies. Almost immediately, aspirants questioned the transparency of the selection process.
The first objection was that the Commission did not publish category-wise cut-off marks, making it impossible for candidates to verify how the shortlist had been prepared. Aspirants also alleged that the published merit list did not bear the mandatory signatures of the Commission's constitutional members, raising questions over whether due procedure had been followed.
The controversy deepened after images of alleged OMR answer sheets circulated on social media. One widely shared sheet purportedly showed a candidate qualifying after attempting only about 48 questions, despite the expected qualifying score being significantly higher. Similar allegations surfaced regarding backlog recruitment examinations. While the authenticity of the OMR sheets has not been independently verified, they fuelled widespread suspicion over the evaluation process.
Candidates also questioned why TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL) had been entrusted with examination-related work despite having previously been blacklisted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) over alleged contractual violations and reportedly facing action in other states. This shifted attention from the results themselves to the conduct of the examination and the agencies involved.
As demonstrations outside the JPSC office intensified, the Jharkhand government directed the CID to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the allegations. What began as a dispute over examination results has since expanded into a wider investigation into the recruitment process, the role of JPSC officials and the private agency associated with the examination.
What are the protesters demanding?
Hundreds of government job aspirants have been staging an indefinite sit-in at Ranchi's Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium, with student leader Devendranath Mahato also undertaking a hunger strike.
Although the CID probe has led to multiple arrests, the resignation of the JPSC chairman and the postponement of several recruitment examinations, the protesters say these measures do not go far enough.
Their key demands include:
A CBI investigation into the alleged recruitment irregularities, arguing that the state CID cannot conduct an impartial probe.
An Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation into the alleged money trail.
Cancellation of the 14th JPSC Preliminary Examination and a fresh examination if irregularities are established.
Permanent blacklisting of TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL) and action against all officials and intermediaries found responsible.
Fast-track courts to expedite cases related to recruitment scams.
Recruitment reforms, including a fixed examination calendar, publication of category-wise cut-off marks and evaluation details, and safeguards to ensure greater transparency in future examinations.
What has the investigation found so far?
As the protests intensified, the Jharkhand government handed the case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the allegations. The probe has focused on TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL), the private agency associated with the examination process, and Abhay Tiwari, a Block Supply Officer who allegedly worked with the company and is accused of acting as a middleman in a recruitment racket. The CID is also investigating the appointment of several of Tiwari's relatives to government posts, allegations of manipulation of OMR answer sheets, and whether candidates were wrongly declared successful.
The CID is also investigating the appointment of several of Tiwari's relatives to government posts and whether examination records were manipulated. So far, 14 people have been arrested, including JPSC Deputy Examination Controller Shweta Kumari Gupta and officials linked to TDPL. Investigators have raided the JPSC headquarters and other locations, seized digital records, servers and examination documents, and collected OMR sheets for forensic examination.
The probe has also led to administrative action. JPSC Chairman L Khiangte resigned after being questioned by the CID, while the Commission postponed the Civil Services Main Examination and several other recruitment tests pending the outcome of the investigation.
How have governments and political parties responded?
The Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government has ruled out a CBI probe for now, maintaining that the CID investigation is progressing and assuring aspirants that strict action will be taken against those found guilty. The government has overseen the arrest of multiple accused, accepted the resignation of JPSC Chairman L. Khiangte, and postponed several recruitment examinations pending the probe.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has backed the students' agitation, rejecting the CID probe as inadequate and demanding a CBI investigation into the JPSC and JSSC recruitment examinations. The party has organised demonstrations in support of the protesters, while former Chief Ministers Raghubar Das and Champai Soren, along with the BJP's youth wing, have called for an independent investigation and the cancellation of tainted examinations.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), led by Abhijeet Dipke, has also extended support to the protesting aspirants, describing the Jharkhand agitation as part of a broader movement for accountability in public recruitment and examination systems.
The controversy has also acquired a national political dimension. Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma extended "moral support" to the protesting aspirants and criticised the Jharkhand government's handling of the issue, further intensifying the political debate around the recruitment row.