Cancelling the Entire Recruitment Without a Complete Investigation Is Unjustified; Court Says Candidates Must Be Given an Opportunity to Be Heard
Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has delivered a significant judgment in the JSSC-CGL recruitment case, restoring the appointments of candidates selected under Advertisement No. 10/2023. The court of Justice Deepak Roshan quashed the state government's notification dated August 18, 2026, cancelling the recruitment. It directed that the selected candidates be treated as continuing in service without any interruption and granted all consequential monetary and other service benefits.
The court observed that the entire recruitment process cannot be cancelled merely because allegations of irregularities have been levelled against a few candidates or criminal investigations are pending. The state government failed to produce concrete facts and evidence establishing that the entire selection process was affected by systematic irregularities. The court held that cancelling all appointments on the basis of an incomplete investigation was unjustified.
During the hearing, the High Court emphasised the principles of Natural Justice. It observed that before taking any action adversely affecting an individual's rights, the person concerned must be given a reasonable opportunity to present their case. The state government failed to establish sufficient grounds for terminating the appointments collectively without providing the candidates an opportunity to be heard. The court also referred to earlier judicial orders passed by the High Court and the Supreme Court.
The court clarified that quashing the recruitment cancellation notification would not affect the pending criminal investigation. The investigation must continue independently and fairly until it reaches its logical conclusion, and the selected candidates will be required to cooperate with the investigating agencies. The court further stated that its observations are limited to the disposal of the present petitions and will not adversely affect the ongoing investigation.
