Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court on Monday ordered the formation of a one-member fact-finding commission, headed by retired Justice Dr S.N. Pathak, to investigate alleged irregularities in the merit list for high school teacher appointments in the state. A single-judge bench, led by Justice Deepak Roshan, issued a detailed 75-page order outlining the guidelines for the inquiry, which is to be completed within three months.

The court directed the commission to examine key issues, including the number of candidates appointed by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC), the sanctioned posts that were later surrendered, and the reasons behind such surrenders. The probe aims to ensure an independent review of the recruitment process.

To improve transparency and minimize litigation, the court also instructed the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) and the JSSC to set up “fact-finding counters” where candidates can access recruitment-related information without approaching the court.

Petitioners alleged serious discrepancies in the 2016 high school teacher recruitment merit list, claiming that lower-scoring candidates were selected while higher-scoring ones were left out.

Contradictions in the number of sanctioned posts disclosed in government affidavits were also highlighted. Senior advocate Ajit Kumar noted that, according to a Supreme Court order in the matter of Soni Kumari & Others, 425 candidates were to be appointed, yet only 377 reportedly joined.

Senior advocates Ajit Kumar, Indrajit Sinha, and Aparajita Bhardwaj represented the petitioners, while Advocate General Rajiv Ranjan, along with counsels Sanjay Piperwal and Prince Kumar Singh, appeared for the JSSC. The findings of the commission are expected to guide the next steps regarding the disputed selections and the status of sanctioned posts, while ensuring candidates have streamlined access to relevant information during the inquiry.