The Supreme Court on Saturday refused to interfere in the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) examination cancellation row and directed aggrieved
candidates to approach the Jharkhand High Court, which is already seized of the matter. A Chief Justice of India-led bench was hearing a petition filed by candidates who had cleared the JPSC preliminary examination and challenged the state government's decision to cancel the examination. The petitioners had also sought permission to participate in the Jharkhand Judicial Service Main examination, arguing that they had successfully cleared the preliminary stage. During the hearing, the Supreme Court noted that the High Court was already dealing with the dispute and had stayed the cancellation of the examination. The bench observed that, as the Jharkhand High Court had stayed the cancellation, there was, as of now, no operative cancellation before the court to interfere with. The CJI-led bench, therefore, declined to entertain the plea and asked the aggrieved candidates to raise all their concerns before the Jharkhand High Court. SC Says All Issues Can Be Raised Before HC The Supreme Court told the petitioners that the High Court was already considering the matter and that they should approach the same court for relief. “HC is already dealing with it,” the bench observed, while making it clear that it would not interfere in the matter at this stage. The court also noted that the proceedings concerning the cancellation were pending before the High Court. Since the High Court had already stayed the cancellation, the Supreme Court indicated that there was currently no cancellation order that required its intervention. The candidates had approached the apex court seeking relief after clearing the JPSC preliminary examination. Their petition challenged the state government's move to cancel the examination and sought protection of their candidature in the recruitment process. One of their key demands was that candidates who had cleared the prelims should be allowed to appear in the Jharkhand Judicial Service Main examination. They argued that having qualified the preliminary stage, they should not be excluded from the subsequent stage of the selection process because of the dispute surrounding the examination. The Supreme Court, however, said that these issues should also be raised before the Jharkhand High Court. JPSC Exam Cancellation: HC Stay Remains In Force The High Court's intervention is significant as it has already stayed the cancellation of the examination. With the matter pending before the High Court, the Supreme Court did not find it appropriate to independently examine the candidates' grievances at this stage. The bench indicated that all candidates who are aggrieved by the JPSC examination cancellation issue can approach the High Court and seek appropriate relief. The Supreme Court's decision does not settle the underlying dispute over the JPSC examination or determine whether candidates who cleared the prelims will ultimately be allowed to appear in the Main examination. Those issues will now remain before the Jharkhand High Court. For the candidates, the immediate legal avenue is therefore the High Court, where the proceedings concerning the examination cancellation are already underway. The development comes amid uncertainty among candidates who cleared the preliminary examination and are seeking clarity on the next stage of the Jharkhand Judicial Service recruitment process.
