Ranchi, Dec 17 (NationPress) The Jharkhand High Court has put a stop to the announcement of the Combined Graduate Level (CGL) Examination 2023 results organized by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) until further instructions.

This decision followed the hearing of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) submitted by Rajesh Kumar and others on Tuesday, which called for a CBI investigation into the alleged leak of the exam papers.

A Division Bench, consisting of Chief Justice MS Ramachandra Rao and Justice Deepak Roshan, mandated the state government to file a First Information Report (FIR) under the Examination Conducting Act, 2023 in response to the complaint regarding the JSSC CGL exam paper leak. The Bench also required authorities to provide an investigation report.

The petitioner, Rajesh Kumar, had previously submitted an online complaint to initiate an FIR at the relevant police station, but no action was taken.

During the last hearing, it was revealed that the JSSC CGL examination initially took place on January 28, 2024, attracting a large number of candidates. However, claims of a question paper leak emerged, leading to protests and the examination's cancellation.

Subsequently, the examination was rescheduled for September 21 and September 22. Despite the retest, new allegations regarding a paper leak surfaced.

The PIL asserts that the investigation conducted by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) established by the state police has lacked transparency, as its findings have not been disclosed to the public.

The petitioners are now advocating for a CBI or judicial investigation into the issue.

The JSSC CGL examination, which occurred on September 21-22 across 823 examination centers in Jharkhand, saw the participation of 3,04,769 candidates. Following the results, the JSSC shortlisted 2,145 candidates on December 5, with the document verification process commencing on December 16 and set to conclude by December 20.

The High Court's ruling to suspend the result publication and file an FIR arises amid growing concerns regarding the integrity of the examination process.

On December 10, students in Hazaribagh blocked the highway for nearly four hours, resulting in a police lathi-charge to disperse the protest.

Previously, the JSSC had established a committee to examine the allegations, which later rejected claims of any irregularities.