Ranchi, Jharkhand (PTI): The Jharkhand High Court has fixed a deadline of two months for the state government to appoint the chairman and members of the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC).
A division bench of Chief Justice M S Sonak and Justice Rajesh Shankar were on Thursday hearing a petition initiated suo motu by the High Court on the absence of chairman and members of the commission.
Advocate General Rohitashya Roy informed the High Court that the appointment process for the chairman's post is due to be completed soon.
The court directed the advocate general to file a compliance report on the matter by November 18. The court will hear the case again on November 19.
Earlier, while hearing the petition, the court had directed the government to inform as to by what time it would complete the process of appointment of the chairman and members of the commission.
The court was hearing a petition on the shortage of officers and employees in the forest department, during which it was informed that the posts of chairman and members of the commission were vacant.
The absence of a chairman has also affected the recruitment process of new officers and employees in various government departments.
The court had earlier observed that the commission is a constitutional body and the chairman's post cannot be left vacant for a long time.
Former JPSC chairman L Khiangte was arrested on August 10, a day after all three members of the panel resigned amid massive protests by aspirants over alleged irregularities in recruitment tests conducted by the commission.
Khiangte was appointed the JPSC chairman in February last year after he retired as the chief secretary.
All three members of the JPSC resigned on August 9 amid the student protests. Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar had accepted the resignation of Ajeeta Bhattacharya, Anima Hansda and Jamal Ahmad.
The resignations came after the CID summoned the three members for questioning in connection with the allegations of irregularities, including paper leaks.
This report was published from a syndicated wire feed. Apart from the headline, the EdexLive Desk has not edited the copy.