Jharkhand Leader of Opposition (LoP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Babulal Marandi has written to Chief Minister Hemant Soren demanding the 'immediate removal' of Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) Acting Chairman Prashant Kumar from the state's examination reform committee, and an independent inquiry into his role in the examination process. The letter, sent from Ranchi on 26 August, escalates opposition pressure over alleged irregularities in Jharkhand's government recruitment system.

The Conflict of Interest Charge

Marandi acknowledged that the state government constituted the examination reform committee in response to alleged irregularities surfacing in Jharkhand's recruitment examinations. However, he described the inclusion of Finance Secretary Prashant Kumar — who has held the post of JSSC Acting Chairman since February 2024 — as 'extremely unfortunate and objectionable.'

The LoP pointed out that the controversial JSSC-CGL examination of September 2024 was conducted during Prashant Kumar's tenure. That examination was subsequently cancelled; the JSSC office was raided, the Commission's Secretary was interrogated, and, according to Marandi, 'the credibility of the entire system was called into question.'

'Entrusting the responsibility of system reform to the very officer whose tenure and administrative role ought to be subject to an independent and impartial inquiry clearly constitutes a conflict of interest,' Marandi wrote.

Past Conduct Under Scrutiny

The BJP leader cited two additional instances to question Prashant Kumar's administrative record. He alleged that during Kumar's tenure as Finance Secretary, the department 'failed to provide a clear explanation regarding a discrepancy of thousands of crores of rupees in the state accounts.' Marandi also recalled that in a matter concerning the Water Resources Department, the Jharkhand High Court reportedly 'imposed a fine on him for misleading the court and failing to comply with its orders.'

'Despite this, his inclusion in the Examination Reform Committee casts doubt on the Jharkhand government's intentions,' Marandi stated, adding that 'making the very officer whose accountability should be fixed into a reformer is akin to entrusting the guardianship of milk to a cat.'

Key Demands Raised by Marandi

The LoP laid out a set of specific demands in his letter to Chief Minister Soren. He called for the immediate removal and arrest of Acting Chairman Prashant Kumar and JSSC Secretary Sudhir Gupta on charges of irregularities in the JSSC-CGL examination, and demanded that an independent agency be tasked with investigating their respective tenures.

Marandi also sought a detailed inquiry into Prashant Kumar's role covering agency selection, question paper security, examination conduct, the results process, and all administrative approvals related to the JSSC-CGL. He further urged that the reform committee be reconstituted to include student representatives alongside 'impartial judicial, technical, and academic experts.'

CBI Probe and Call for Transparency

In a broader demand, Marandi called for the investigation into JPSC-JSSC recruitment irregularities to be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), arguing that restoring student confidence requires an agency beyond the reach of state influence.

'The reform committee has been constituted to cleanse the system, not to shield officials whose conduct is under a cloud of suspicion. If the Jharkhand government genuinely desires transparency, it must first withdraw this highly contradictory decision and induct members of clean, transparent, and honest repute,' Marandi said. The Hemant Soren government has not yet issued a formal response to the letter.