The Jharkhand High Court has directed the state government to file its counter affidavit by September 18 in a case challenging the cancellation of appointments made through the 11th and 13th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examinations.
According to a PTI report, the direction was issued on Tuesday while the court was hearing a batch of petitions against government notifications cancelling the JPSC appointments. Justice Deepak Roshan had earlier directed the state to submit its response by September 15.
The state government had sought four weeks’ time to file its counter affidavit. However, the High Court declined the request and fixed September 18 as the next date of hearing.
HC Had Earlier Stayed Appointment Cancellation
The High Court had on August 20 stayed the operation of government notifications cancelling the appointments of candidates selected through the 11th and 13th JPSC examinations. The court had also stayed the cancellation of appointments of food safety officers.
Following the interim order, candidates and other employees whose appointments were affected by the government notification were allowed to continue in their respective posts.
The petitions challenge the Jharkhand government’s decision to cancel the appointments amid an ongoing investigation into alleged irregularities in the recruitment examinations.
The High Court has, however, clarified that the interim protection does not cover JPSC candidates found to have secured appointments through foul play.
The court said candidates found involved in any wrongdoing during the investigation could face consequences, including termination from service.
The court further observed that the final status of the appointments would depend on the outcome of the ongoing investigation as well as the proceedings before the High Court. The interim protection granted to the affected candidates does not mean that their appointments have been finally upheld, and the matter will be decided after the relevant findings and submissions are placed before the court.
The case is now scheduled to come up for hearing on September 18. The Jharkhand government is expected to place its counter affidavit before the court on the next date, setting out its response to the petitions challenging the cancellation of the appointments.
(With Inputs from PTI)