Sixth round of talks between the Jharkhand government and students protesting against the alleged irregularities in recruitment exams began on Sunday at the State guest house in Ranchi.
The protest entered its 16th day, and six demonstrators are on indefinite hunger strike.
A five-member delegation from the Left-backed students' union AISA is also taking part in the talks.
"We are hopeful of a positive outcome over our demands of cancelling the 14th Jharkhand PSC Civil Services Examination and reforms in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission and the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC)," a student leader said.
Key demands of the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, a prominent students' body spearheading the protest, include cancelling the 14th JPSC, a CBI probe into all examinations, making the probe report public and action against the guilty.
The students are also demanding the revocation of the suspension of a finance department section officer and whistleblower, Santosh Kumar Mastana, and withdrawal of cases filed against him.
Jharkhand CID had arrested Mastana in October 2025 for allegedly spreading a "fake narrative" about a paper leak in the JSSC Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Examination held in September 2024.
He was granted regular bail by the Jharkhand High Court this year.
The decision to hold another round of talks was taken after a series of meetings between the government and student groups on Friday night and throughout Saturday failed to break the deadlock.
The Hemant Soren government on Friday night held discussions with the JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch that has been spearheading the agitation.
On Saturday, the government panel, comprising ministers Dipika Pandey Singh, Sudivya Kumar, Chamra Linda and Sanjay Prasad Yadav, held separate meetings with student bodies including the Congress-backed NSUI, JCM and Adivasi Chhatra Sangh ACS, and sought their charters of demands.
With inputs from PTI
