High Court orders CBI probe into Jharkhand Assembly ‘recruitment scam’

Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court, in a significant move, has ordered a CBI probe into the assembly recruitment scam on Monday.

The bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad and Justice Arun Kumar Rai announced the decision on Monday. Earlier, after a hearing, the court had reserved its judgment, which has now been made public.

The court had previously reserved its order on June 20 after hearing arguments in the case.

A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) was filed in the Jharkhand High Court, alleging illegal appointments in the state assembly. The court heard arguments from both the petitioner and the assembly’s representatives. During previous hearings, the court had also instructed that a report by a one-member commission led by Justice Vikramaditya Prasad to be presented. After a detailed hearing, the court concluded that the investigation should be handled to the CBI.

The recruitment scam dates back to various tenures of assembly speakers. During the tenure of the first Jharkhand Assembly Speaker, Inder Singh Namdhari, 274 individuals were appointed. Under Speaker Alamgir Alam, 324 individuals were recruited. Additionally, under Speaker Shashank Shekhar Bhokta, individuals were allegedly promoted inappropriately.

During investigation it was revealed that 70% of the appointments were allegedly made during Inder Singh Namdhari’s tenure were from a single district.

During Alamgir Alam’s tenure as Speaker, allegations of bribery in the recruitment process surfaced. The then Governor Syed Sibtey Razi ordered an investigation into the matter. Initially, retired Justice Loknath Prasad was appointed to lead the investigation, and later, retired Justice Vikramaditya Prasad took over. In 2018, Justice Vikramaditya Prasad submitted his investigation report to the then Governor Draupadi Murmu (currently the President of India). The Governor forwarded the report to the Assembly for further action.

Despite the submission of Justice Vikramaditya Prasad’s investigation report in 2018, no concrete action was taken. Instead of acting on the findings, a new commission was formed to review the report, delaying any substantial progress in the case.

With the Jharkhand High Court now handing the investigation over to the CBI, all eyes are on the central investigative agency to uncover the extent of the irregularities and bring those responsible to justice.

Saryu Roy welcomes CBI inquiry into Jharkhand Assembly recruitment scam

Jamshedpur: Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy has expressed strong support for the Jharkhand High Court’s recent order directing a CBI inquiry into the alleged recruitment scam in the Jharkhand Assembly. He believes this investigation will have significant implications, revealing the roles of the government and assembly in concealing illegal appointments.

“The order for a CBI inquiry will have far-reaching consequences,” Roy stated. “It will expose how the temple of democracy has been compromised and identify the culprits behind these illegal appointments.”

Roy recalled his attempts to bring the issue to light back in 2007, when he first raised concerns about the illegal appointment scam. “At that time, the then Assembly Speaker, Alamgir Alam, asked me for evidence. I provided a CD detailing the scam, and an Assembly committee was formed to investigate. However, instead of acting on its report, another investigation committee was established, which ultimately failed to deliver any findings.”

He accused the current state government and the Assembly of conspiring to suppress the scam, asserting, “This conspiracy will be exposed in the CBI investigation.”