CBI Probe Essential in Jharkhand Exam Row, Says Raghubar Das

Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das has demanded a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in competitive examinations conducted in the state, arguing that the controversy is not limited to the alleged scams but also extends to the way the investigations have been handled.

Das accused Chief Minister Hemant Soren of playing “petty politics” with the future of students and said the government should hand over the entire matter to the CBI if it genuinely wants to ensure justice for candidates.

He said students have consistently raised three key demands: cancellation of the JPSC preliminary examination, cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination and a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities.

Das welcomed the state government's decision to initiate an investigation into examinations dating back to 2014, but said students do not have confidence in a CID probe. He also questioned the delay in formally notifying the cancellation of the JPSC preliminary examination, which the government had announced on August 9.

According to Das, the JPSC has the authority to formally cancel the examination. He questioned how the process would move forward when, according to him, the commission currently does not have a chairman or members. He also referred to the reported arrest of the JPSC chairman and examination controller and asked who would issue the necessary notification under such circumstances.

Defending the examination system during his tenure as chief minister, Das claimed that no student had complained of large-scale malpractice or launched an agitation over the competitive examinations conducted during his tenure. He acknowledged that there had been a technical controversy over the decision concerning the addition of Hindi and English marks in the sixth JPSC examination, but said there had been no allegations of seats being sold or large-scale corruption.

Das also questioned why the Hemant Soren government had not ordered an investigation earlier if it had received complaints about examination irregularities after coming to power in 2019.

He further alleged that during an Enforcement Directorate operation at the residence of architect Vinod Singh, who he described as a close associate and confidant of the chief minister, a large number of admit cards of CGL candidates were allegedly recovered. Das said the allegation had further strengthened the demand among students for a CBI investigation. There was no response from the concerned parties to these allegations in the statement.

Das also referred to Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi's letter to Chief Minister Hemant Soren regarding the protesting students. He said that if Rahul Gandhi considered the students' demands legitimate, the state government should explain why it was not agreeing to their demand for a CBI probe.

He also questioned why Rahul Gandhi had not visited Ranchi to meet the protesting students. Das claimed, citing what he described as sources close to the ruling establishment, that Soren had advised Gandhi against visiting Ranchi. He further alleged that Soren had warned Gandhi that if he came to Ranchi, the four Congress ministers would be removed and the government could be pushed out of power. These claims could not be independently verified.

Das also raised the deaths of 19 tribal and local candidates during the physical race conducted as part of the excise constable recruitment process. He questioned why Rahul Gandhi had not, according to him, met the families of the deceased candidates or demanded compensation from the state government. He asked whether the lives of tribal and local youth in Jharkhand had been given adequate importance.

## Das questions credibility of CID investigation

The former chief minister also attacked the CID investigation into the examination-related allegations. He alleged that the purpose of the investigation appeared to be less about bringing the guilty to justice and more about protecting influential people and bureaucrats in power and destroying evidence.

Das welcomed the government's decision to cancel all examinations conducted by TDPL. However, he pointed out that the same CID investigation had earlier given a clean chit to the JSSC-CGL examination, and questioned how another investigation could be considered credible when the agency's own findings had become a matter of dispute.

He said the students' demand was for the JPSC preliminary and JSSC-CGL examinations to be investigated by the CBI so that those responsible could be identified and punished.

## Raghubar Das cautions against blanket cancellation of appointments

Das also spoke about candidates who were appointed through the JSSC-CGL examination. He argued that the government should distinguish between candidates who may have benefited from malpractice and those who secured their positions on merit.

Referring to the legal position and Supreme Court judgments, he said that an entire recruitment process should not automatically be cancelled without first determining whether individual candidates were involved in wrongdoing. He argued that candidates could be assessed individually on the basis of their conduct and background, particularly during their probationary period.

According to Das, a comprehensive investigation should first establish whether irregularities affected the entire recruitment process or only certain candidates. Cancelling all appointments, he said, should be considered only if the investigation ultimately establishes grounds for such a step.

## Demand for compensation to families of deceased candidates

Das urged the state government to recommend a CBI investigation into the alleged irregularities in competitive examinations and called for a transparent process that would restore confidence among students.

He also demanded compensation of Rs 1 crore each for the families of the 19 tribal and local candidates who died during the excise constable recruitment race.

The larger issue, according to Das, is not merely the fate of individual examinations but the credibility of Jharkhand's recruitment system. With thousands of young candidates depending on government examinations for employment, any prolonged dispute over the integrity of the process can deepen distrust among aspirants. A transparent investigation, timely decisions and clear identification of responsibility would therefore be crucial to restoring confidence in the state's examination system.