Ranchi, August 18, 2026 Leader of Opposition Babulal Marandi has criticised the Hemant Soren government’s decision to cancel the JSSC-CGL examination and examinations conducted through TDPL, arguing that cancellation alone will not resolve the allegations surrounding Jharkhand’s recruitment system.
Marandi said the students’ central demand has been a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and questioned why the state government was not willing to hand the matter over to the central agency.
The Jharkhand government announced on August 17 that the JSSC-CGL examination and recruitment examinations conducted through TDPL would be cancelled. It also announced a wider examination of recruitment-related irregularities and steps to reform the examination system.
Marandi says cancellation is not enough
Marandi alleged that the government’s decision was aimed at deflecting the concerns of protesting students rather than addressing the underlying allegations. He maintained that a CBI investigation was necessary to establish responsibility and determine whether officials, intermediaries or other individuals were involved in any wrongdoing.
He also questioned the role of the agencies that have already investigated the matter and alleged that previous investigations had failed to satisfy the concerns surrounding the recruitment examinations.
Marandi claimed that irregularities had occurred across multiple JPSC and JSSC examinations and said his party wanted the entire matter investigated by the CBI.
These claims are political allegations made by Marandi and have not been established as facts in the material available for this report.
Marandi questions government handling of investigation
The BJP leader also raised questions about the continued presence of the JSSC chairperson and called for accountability from officials involved in the examination process.
He alleged that the state government was more interested in protecting those responsible for irregularities than addressing the concerns of students. He called on the government to transfer the cases to the CBI rather than relying solely on the existing state-level investigation.
Marandi further alleged that money had changed hands in connection with government jobs and that influential individuals could be involved. He did not provide publicly verifiable evidence for these allegations in the statement supplied for this report.
Students continue to seek CBI investigation
The demand for a CBI probe remains a point of contention even after the government’s decision to cancel the JSSC-CGL and TDPL examinations. Reports on the developments said protesting aspirants welcomed the cancellations but continued to press for a CBI investigation.
Marandi urged students to remain firm on their demand for a CBI inquiry, arguing that only an independent investigation could establish the full extent of the alleged irregularities and identify those responsible.
The government’s decision has already altered the course of the student agitation, while the demand for a CBI probe remains unresolved.
