The Jharkhand government on Sunday (August 9, 2026) agreed to cancel the 14th Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) preliminary examination and the JPSC backlog examinations held in 2023 and 2025 following six hours of discussions with protesting student groups.
However, the students remained firm on their demand for a CBI probe into the alleged irregularities in the JSSC-CGL examination and said the agitation would continue, including a march to the Jharkhand Assembly on Monday (August 10, 2026). The announcement came even as all three JPSC members resigned and Chief Minister Hemant Soren assured protesters that “justice will be delivered with full transparency”.
Aslo Read: Hemant Soren asks student protesters not to be misguided by political parties
The State’s Technical and Higher Education Minister Sudivya Kumar said the government has accepted “98% of the demands”.
“The government has agreed with the demand for cancellation of the 14th JPSC and backlog examinations of 2023 and 2025,” he said, adding that the State cannot recommend a CBI probe into JSSC-CGL “as we don’t have jurisdiction over JSSC-CGL exams that happened in line with High court and Supreme court directions.”
The groups, led by Jharkhand Loktantrik Krantikari Morcha (JLKM) and JPSC-JSSC Reforms Manch, said they want cancellation of JSSC-CGL and all exams connected to the TSR Data Processing Private Limited Agency, a blacklisted entity.
Mr. Kumar said the panel “held positive dialogue with students... and they will take a final call whether to withdraw the agitation or not.”
Responding to the demand over JSSC-CGL, the government said a committee will be formed under a retired judge for a judicial probe and the CID will investigate the criminal angle. It has not yet agreed to cancel exams conducted by the TDPL.
Piyush Kumar, a student delegation member, said that the resolution was “unacceptable”. “We first want the cancellation of the exam and then the investigation,” he said.
The four-member committee of State Ministers informed the protesting groups that a fast-track court will be established for the speedy disposal of cases on the alleged exam irregularities. The court will file a charge-sheet within 90 days, Minister Kumar said. “A panel will also be formed with experts drawn from IIT-ISM Dhanbad, IIM Ranchi and XLRI Jamshedpur to suggest examination reforms,” he said.
But Chandan Kumar, another delegation member from JLKM, said that there is “no clarity over the timeline.”
Earlier, the talks started around noon, and the delegation members returned to the protest site at Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium around 6:30 p.m. The government representatives met with the three student delegations, including one from AISA, separately and then with all the groups together.
Protesters from all over the State continued to join the agitation and are expected to participate in the Monday march. Five aspirants continued their indefinite hunger strike, including Devendra Mahto, whose hunger strike entered the eighth day.
