Jharkhand CM accepts student demands, cancels exams held by controversial firm

Ranchi: Bowing to mounting pressure from job aspirants protesting against alleged recruitment irregularities, Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced the cancellation of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination and all tests conducted by outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL) since 2014.

The landmark decision was taken during a marathon cabinet meeting chaired by the Chief Minister on Monday.

"The government has decided to cancel the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission-Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) exam, which was one of the major demands of the protesting students. We have also decided to cancel all tests conducted by outsourced agency TDPL (TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd) and the results published by it," Soren said following the cabinet meeting.

In addition to scrapping the controversial examinations and invalidating TDPL-published results, Soren announced the formation of a dedicated examination reforms committee. The newly constituted panel will be headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal to overhaul the state's recruitment framework and ensure transparency.

The government's action follows weeks of intense agitation by job aspirants who have been demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and the immediate annulment of the JSSC-CGL exam over alleged paper leaks and procedural lapses.

The student-led demonstration entered its 24th day on Monday, with six protesters continuing an indefinite hunger strike to press their demands before the cabinet's announcement.