RANCHI: The deadlock between the Jharkhand government and students protesting alleged irregularities in JPSC and JSSC examinations continued on Sunday, with a sixth round of talks failing to resolve the dispute.
The students said they would continue their agitation and take out a peaceful march to the Jharkhand Assembly on Monday, August 10.
According to the students, the government has agreed to cancel the Jharkhand Public Service Commission Preliminary Test (JPSC-PT), but no consensus was reached over the cancellation of the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level (JSSC-CGL) examination.
The talks, held at the state guest house in Ranchi, remained positive but inconclusive, with a prominent student faction terming the Hemant Soren dispensation's move "political manoeuvring".
Student leaders said they were not ready to compromise until their demand for a CBI probe was accepted.
After the meeting, Minister Sudivya Kumar Sonu said that the government had accepted 98 per cent of the students' demands, but student leaders remained firm on their demand for the cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination.
“The state government does not have the authority to cancel the JSSC- CGL exam, as it was conducted following the directives from the High Court and the Supreme Court. In such a situation, the government cannot cancel the exam on its own,” the minister said, further clarifying that the government cannot cancel the appointments of candidates selected through CGL.
The minister, however, said that if required, a probe committee headed by a retired judge could be formed to investigate the alleged irregularities in the CGL examination.
Sonu also said that a fast-track court would be set up to deal with cases related to examination irregularities and that charge sheets would be filed within 90 days.
The state government would also recommend an Enforcement Directorate probe into alleged financial irregularities in JPSC examinations, he said.
The government also plans to form a panel comprising experts from IITs, IIMs and XLRI to recommend reforms to the state's examination system. A separate panel headed by a retired High Court judge would examine alleged irregularities in the JSSC-CGL examination, the minister said.
Student leader Ravindra Paswan, however, said that the movement would continue as the demand for cancellation of the CGL examination and a CBI probe had not been accepted. He announced that the students would take out a peaceful march to the Assembly on Monday.
“Our demand is that all examinations conducted by the TDPL agency should be cancelled and a CBI investigation should be ordered. Secondly, all examinations in which Abhay Tiwari was involved should be cancelled and a CBI investigation should be conducted,” said the student leader, Ravindra Paswan.
Since, all their demands, including CBI inquiry into the JSSC-CGL examination were not fulfilled, they will continue their agitation and will gherao Jharkhand Assembly on Monday as per schedule, he added.
"Most of our demands have been met, including the demand for cancellation of the 14th JPSC exam. But we will not compromise till our demand for a CBI probe is fulfilled," said student leader Ravindra Paswan.
The Jharkhand government began fresh talks on Sunday as the students entered the 16th day of their agitation. The latest round followed meetings between the government and different student groups on Friday night and throughout Saturday, which failed to break the deadlock.
The state government on Friday night held discussions with the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, which has been spearheading the agitation.
On Saturday, it held four rounds of talks with different student groups, including the Congress's student wing NSUI, Jharkhand Chhatra Morcha and Adivasi Chhatra Sangh.
The talks were held with two groups on Sunday: one led by Devendranath Mahto, who has previously contested Lok Sabha elections, and another with the JPSC-JSSC Reform Manch. A total of six student representatives participated in the discussions.
Meanwhile, amid the ongoing controversy over alleged irregularities in JPSC examinations, all three serving members of the commission — Dr Ajita Bhattacharya, Dr Anima Hansda and Dr Jamal Ahmed — have resigned from their posts.
Sources said the three members had sent their resignation letters to the Governor, who has accepted their resignations.
The resignations come amid growing scrutiny of the JPSC over alleged irregularities in the conduct of competitive examinations and the appointment of agencies to handle the examination process.
The development assumes significance as the Jharkhand CID, which is probing alleged irregularities in JPSC recruitment examinations, had recently summoned the three serving members for questioning.
According to sources, the three JPSC members were asked to appear before the investigating agency on August 10, 12 and 14, respectively.
The CID is reportedly seeking to ascertain the role of the commission members in various decisions related to the conduct of examinations, including the selection of agencies entrusted with examination-related work.
(With inputs from PTI)