Govt U-turn on adding Hindi to JSSC list of language papers

Ranchi: The state government on Wednesday informed the Jharkhand High Court that it is willing to include Hindi as one of the languages in the examinations to be conducted by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC).
Supreme Court advocate Mukul Rohtagi, arguing for the state, said Hindi will be included in the list of subjects in the examinations.
The court ordered the government to file a composite and detailed counter affidavit in the matter for the next hearing on July 20.
A division bench of Chief Justice Dr Ravi Ranjan and Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad were hearing petitions filed by aggrieved candidates.
Ramesh Hansda, a student, has challenged the removal of English and Hindi as subjects in the language papers offered by the JSSC. The rules also bar general category candidates who have done their matriculation and intermediate outside the state from the exams. However, the reserved category aspirants do not come under this rule. Hansda and another candidate Kushal Kumar have questioned the rules and termed those as discriminatory.
The question of domicile has also been contradicted by the commission. A candidate who passed the matriculation examination from the state and did intermediate from outside has been debarred from the exams.
Rashmi Kumari, an aspirant, has also moved the HC stating that she has done her matriculation from the state and went out for intermediate. She added that she has residential certificate from the local circle office. She termed the ineligibility criteria as a violation of basic rights.