Jharkhand HC issues notice to JPSC over civil services merit list, seeks response on objections

Ranchi, June 11 The Jharkhand High Court has issued a notice to the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), seeking a detailed response to a series of objections raised against the merit list of the 11th to 13th Civil Services Main Examination.

A bench of Justice Deepak Roshan, hearing a petition filed by Rajesh Prasad and 53 other candidates, directed the JPSC to submit a point-wise affidavit addressing the allegations and concerns cited in the plea.

The petitioners have challenged the legitimacy of the merit list, citing alleged violations of examination rules and procedural irregularities. One of the key objections raised is the digital evaluation of answer sheets, which, the petition claims, has no provision under the current examination rules.

Further, the petition contends that the evaluation was outsourced to a third-party agency, but there is no public information regarding the identity of that agency or the tendering process under which it was appointed.

The candidates have also alleged that, contrary to the rules mandating evaluation by senior teachers -- either with more than 10 years of experience in university-affiliated colleges or five years in postgraduate institutions -- the answer sheets were reportedly assessed by guest faculty with as little as two years of experience.

Calling the merit list “flawed and unreliable,” the petitioners have demanded a complete re-evaluation of the answer sheets as per the original guidelines.

The High Court has fixed July 23 as the next date of hearing in the matter.

The JPSC had released the advertisement for the 11th to 13th Combined Civil Services Examination in January 2024. The preliminary exam was held in March, with over 3.5 lakh candidates appearing.

Results were declared on April 22, shortlisting 7,011 candidates for the Main examination, which was conducted from June 22 to 24, 2024. The result of the Main exam was declared on May 20, 2025. The recruitment drive is being conducted to fill 342 administrative posts.

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