Ex-AG Rajiv Ranjan backs CBI probe into JPSC-JSSC scam, says recruitment row has eroded students’ trust

THE JHARKHAND STORY NETWORK

Ranchi, August 23: Former Jharkhand Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan has backed a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in JPSC-JSSC recruitment examinations, saying new disclosures about the alleged involvement of the examination-conducting agency have changed the circumstances and made an independent investigation necessary to restore confidence in the state government.

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Ranjan said a CBI investigation should establish the scale of the alleged recruitment scandal, identify those responsible and distinguish genuine candidates from those who benefited from malpractice.

His remarks come amid a prolonged agitation by students and job aspirants over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations. The controversy has also raised wider questions about the credibility of the state’s recruitment system.

Why Ranjan now supports a CBI probe

Ranjan said his present position is different from the one he had taken during the JSSC-CGL case before the Jharkhand High Court.

During the earlier hearing, he had argued that a CBI inquiry was not required at that stage, and the court accepted that position. The court instead allowed the JSSC to publish the final results and directed the state government to appoint successful candidates, while asking the SIT to continue its investigation.

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Ranjan said the circumstances have changed following new disclosures.

“Now the very agency conducting the examination seems to be involved,” he said.

In view of these developments, he said, “a CBI inquiry would be appropriate to remove the lack of confidence in the government and restore its credibility.”

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He said an independent investigation should establish whether the alleged irregularities were confined to a few individuals or extended to the wider recruitment system, including the examination-conducting agency, senior bureaucrats and politicians.

CBI probe should separate genuine candidates from beneficiaries

Ranjan said the purpose of a CBI investigation should not be to punish every successful candidate or cancel appointments indiscriminately.

“This CBI inquiry will also bring out the scale of the scandal and would be able to segregate the genuine candidates from those who are involved in malfeasance,” he said.

He argued that candidates who obtained appointments on merit should be protected, while those against whom evidence of malpractice emerges should face action.

What the High Court ordered

The Jharkhand High Court had vacated its earlier status quo order in the JSSC-CGL matter in 2025 and directed the JSSC to publish the final examination results. It also directed the state government to appoint successful candidates to their respective posts.

The court directed the SIT to complete its investigation within six months.

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It made a specific exception for 10 candidates. Of 28 candidates allegedly taken to Nepal to memorise questions and answers, 10 had been called for document verification. The court directed that their results remain in abeyance until completion of the SIT investigation and made their selection subject to its outcome.

The court further ordered that if the SIT found other successful candidates involved in malpractice, the state government could take appropriate action against them.

Ranjan said this approach supported the principle that action should be based on evidence against individual candidates rather than imposed collectively.

‘Corruption happened, but was it large-scale fraud?’

Ranjan acknowledged that corruption and malpractice had occurred but questioned whether the evidence established a large-scale fraud involving all successful candidates.

“Corruption did happen. But 10-15 people were found involved. It was not a large-scale fraud,” he said.

He questioned what evidence had emerged to establish wider involvement and said the investigation should determine the actual scale of the alleged malpractice.

Ranjan said fresh disclosures would characterise the matter as a “systematic fraud” while, according to him, the evidence available during the earlier High Court proceedings primarily concerned paper leaks and malpractice involving certain candidates.

‘Those against whom evidence is found can be proceeded against’

Ranjan said candidates against whom credible evidence emerges can and should face action.

“Those against whom evidence comes can be proceeded against,” he said.

However, he questioned the legal and constitutional basis for removing all successful candidates without establishing their individual involvement and following natural justice.

“Those who have been appointed have a right. Without natural justice, you cannot remove them from their jobs. That would be unconstitutional,” he said.

He argued that the government should first register FIRs and conduct proper investigations into the examinations before deciding who should lose their appointments.

“The government should have first conducted an investigation by lodging an FIR in a specific examination and then separated the genuine candidates from those involved in malpractice, instead of punishing genuine students who got jobs,” he said.

He described blanket removal of appointments as a “Tughlaqi farman”.

44 recruitment examinations since 2014 under scanner

The controversy has widened beyond the JSSC-CGL examination. The government has released a list of 44 recruitment examinations conducted by JPSC and the outsourced agency TDPL since 2014 that have either been cancelled or are under scrutiny over alleged irregularities. The examinations cover recruitment to a range of administrative, judicial, academic, technical and other government posts.

Students’ trust at stake

The repeated cancellations have intensified concerns among students who spend years preparing for competitive examinations and face uncertainty even after clearing them.

Ranjan said the recruitment controversies have eroded the confidence of genuine students and job aspirants in the government.

He argued that Jharkhand’s credibility as an employer is also being affected when examinations are repeatedly challenged or cancelled.

For him, an independent CBI investigation is therefore necessary not only to identify those responsible but also to restore confidence in the recruitment process.

If the examination-conducting agency, officials or politicians are found to have been involved, he said, the investigation should establish the entire chain of responsibility and determine how many candidates benefited.

Ranjan’s warning to government

Ranjan warned that decisions taken without proper investigation and supporting evidence could face legal challenges.

He said the government must distinguish between candidates who manipulated the system and those who cleared examinations legitimately.

His central argument is that a CBI probe can establish how extensive the alleged scandal was, who benefited from it and which candidates were genuinely selected on merit—while ensuring that those found guilty are brought to justice.

Rajiv Ranjan’s association with Hemant Soren government

Rajiv Ranjan was appointed Jharkhand’s Advocate General during Chief Minister Hemant Soren’s first tenure and continued in the position until his recent resignation.

After stepping down as Advocate General, he shifted to Delhi to practise before the Supreme Court.

His call for a CBI investigation comes as students and job aspirants continue to demand an independent probe into alleged irregularities in the state’s recruitment examinations.