Jharkhand HC refuses stay on FRO appointment cancellation

Indian Opinion Analysis

The Jharkhand High Court is now reviewing each cancelled exam separately, a pattern that began after the state government issued a blanket cancellation of 22 examinations on August 18. The court has stayed the scrapping of CDPO, JSSC-CGL and PSC exams, but refused the same for FRO appointments, signalling it will judge on a case-by-case basis. Under settled Indian administrative law, an appointment once made creates a vested right, cancellation requires a strong prima facie case of fraud or illegality affecting the entire selection process. The government has until September 24 to show that the alleged irregularities in the FRO exam were systemic. Separately, the court advanced the main hearing to September 15 at 12.15 pm, indicating urgency. The wider context: the state has ordered a probe into 23 other exams conducted since 2014, meaning more cancellations and court challenges are likely.