'You Can End Marriage,' Jharkhand Candidate Tells Wife Fearing Job Loss

When the Jharkhand government announced on Monday that the JSSC-CGL (Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission Combined Graduate Level) exam 2024 and other examinations would be cancelled, celebrations erupted in one camp, but despair filled another.

The decision by the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand government was prompted by nearly month-long protests held by students demanding the cancellation of JSSC-CGL and other state government exams conducted by an external agency, TSR Data Processing Pvt Ltd (TDPL), over irregularities. It has, however, sparked a protest by the nearly 2,000 people who were selected through JSSC-CGL 2024 and fear they will now lose their jobs.

"It was the chief minister himself who handed me my appointment letter, and now he is the one who has taken my job away," Raghuvendra told NDTV, choking up as he stood outside the Jharkhand Secretariat in Ranchi, protesting amid heavy rain. Hailing from Chatra, Raghuvendra had cleared the CGL exam and works in the Secretariat.

Before that, he had been working as a teacher in Gaya, where he taught Social Science. He explained, "When the CGL recruitment results were declared, I had some apprehensions about joining. But when the Supreme Court ruled on January 5, 2026, against cancelling the recruitment, I resigned from my teaching post in Gaya on January 8. I have now crossed the age limit for recruitment exams. Had the government cancelled it earlier, I wouldn't have joined in the first place. Now, I am left with nothing - neither here nor there."

Sandeep Yadav, a resident of Koderma, was employed in the Vigilance Department, working at his office in Project Bhawan from 10 am to 6 pm every day. On Tuesday, however, he was denied entry to that very office. Sandeep said, "The guard checked my ID card and told me I wasn't allowed inside. I joined last year after clearing the exam. I didn't get the job through anyone's charity. Yet, today, I am not permitted to enter. The government took this decision under pressure from the crowd."

Married just two months ago, Sandeep fears the job loss will affect his marriage as well. "When I went home, I told them, 'You married me because I had a job. Now, I don't have one. If you wish, you can end this relationship.'"

'Who Can We Trust?'

Lalan Pandey, from Deoghar, had been selected for the post of Assistant Section Officer (ASO) and was posted in Jamshedpur. He is the sole breadwinner in his family, which consists of his parents, his wife, and two children.

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"I am past the age to appear for any new recruitment exams. I have young children. What will happen to their education? This is a gross injustice against us. It would have been better if the government had just shot us," he rued.

Gunjan Singh echoed Pandey's sentiment.

"By taking away our jobs, the government has effectively killed us. It would be better if they just shot us. I was working for the Railways in the Asansol Division. I took this job because I wanted to come back home. Who doesn't want to return home?"

Gunjan insisted that he is ready for any kind of investigation and is even willing to undergo a narco test.

"We took up our jobs after the Supreme Court's verdict. When the press briefing (announcing the cancellation of the exams) took place, I couldn't believe my ears. If the recruitment is being cancelled even after the Supreme Court's ruling, then who can we trust?" he asked.

Dogged By Controversy

The recruitment process involving JSSC-CGL 2024 was mired in controversy from the very beginning. When the exam was first held in January that year, the paper leaked, and the test was immediately cancelled. The Commission conducted a re-examination in September, but serious allegations of irregularities surfaced once again.

READ | Jharkhand Agrees To Students' Key Demand But Protesters Firm On CBI Probe

A CID investigation report revealed that, before the exam, candidates were taken to locations such as Hazaribagh, Bokaro, Asansol, and even Nepal, where they were made to memorise the answers to 120 out of the 150 questions. The matter reached the Jharkhand High Court and an FIR was registered.

In December 2025, the High Court ordered that appointment letters be issued to all candidates except those under suspicion. In January 2026, the Supreme Court also rejected the demand to cancel the recruitment. The 1,975 selected candidates are now citing these verdicts.

Asked how he felt about the students who were protesting for the cancellation of the exams, Prince, who was one of the selected candidates, said, "We hold no grudge against them. They are like our younger or elder brothers. It is a matter of luck, hard work, and opportunity. They, too, could have been selected someday."

The selected candidates said they will continue their protests until their issues are addressed and are also considering legal action.