Jharkhand cancels JSSC-CGL exam and all TDPL recruitments after 24-day student protests

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced late on 17 August 2026 that the state Cabinet had decided to cancel the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level examination and all recruitment examinations conducted by the outsourced agency TSR Data Processing Private Limited (TDPL) since 2014.

The decision followed 24 days of continuous protests by students and job aspirants in Ranchi over alleged irregularities in recruitment exams. The government also cancelled results and selections linked to TDPL processes.

Soren said several surprising factors had emerged during the probe into examination irregularities but could not be disclosed at that stage. The Cabinet ordered a wider inquiry dating back to 2014 and constituted an exam reforms committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal to recommend measures to strengthen the recruitment system.

Successful candidates who had already cleared the JSSC-CGL and secured government jobs staged a counter-protest outside the state secretariat, arguing that the cancellation would leave around 2,000 people without employment. Opposition leader Babulal Marandi demanded a CBI probe.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi welcomed the understanding reached between the government and the protesting students, saying dialogue had been the right approach.

The protests had begun on 25 July and focused on demands for cancellation of disputed exams, an independent investigation and systemic reforms in recruitment.