A Jharkhand PGT candidate’s claim of scoring 299.175 out of 300 but still remaining unselected has sparked questions
Ranchi: A fresh controversy has emerged around the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission (JSSC) recruitment process after a candidate reportedly claimed that she scored 299.175 out of 300 marks in the Post Graduate Trained Teacher (PGT) examination but was nevertheless left out of the final selection.
The claim has gained attention at a time when Jharkhand’s recruitment examinations are already facing scrutiny over irregularities, lack of transparency and suspected malpractice.
The candidate’s reported score is particularly striking because 299.175 marks out of 300 translates to almost 99.7 per cent in the examination component. Her non-selection has therefore prompted questions among aspirants over how the final merit and selection process was determined.
The controversy assumes greater significance because the JSSC-PGT recruitment process has faced allegations of irregularities in the past. In July 2024, Jharkhand BJP leaders had alleged irregularities in the JSSC-PGT examination, including a claim that an unusually high proportion of candidates from a particular examination centre had cleared the test. Those allegations were used to demand an investigation into the recruitment process. The issue has now resurfaced in a different form with a 2026 recruitment fraud case involving people promising PGT appointments in exchange for money.
According to a source, police had arrested four additional people in July 2026 in connection with an alleged JSSC-PGT job scam, taking the total number of arrests in that case to five. The accused were allegedly involved in promising candidates jobs in exchange for money, with one case involving an alleged demand of Rs 10 lakh.
Police said the first accused, identified as Sushil Kumar, an India Reserve Battalion personnel, was arrested on July 10. Four more people were subsequently arrested in connection with the fraud. Investigators were continuing to probe whether the accused were part of a wider network.
Another report said police recovered JSSC-PGT admit cards, original educational certificates, applicants’ details, a copy of a High Court order, blank cheques, an Aadhaar card and mobile phones from the accused. Police registered a case and began efforts to identify other people allegedly connected to the recruitment fraud.
The PGT controversy has also emerged against the backdrop of a wider student movement in Jharkhand. On July 29, 2026, students in Ranchi marched from Jaipal Singh Munda Stadium to Albert Chowk, protesting against the functioning of the JPSC and JSSC and alleging that recruitment examinations were not being conducted fairly or transparently. Students demanded accountability and a transparent recruitment system.
One protester alleged that the “entire JPSC recruitment process” had been affected by malpractice, while another student from Dhanbad claimed that discrepancies had been detected in the examination process. She also raised questions over the non-publication of category-wise cut-offs and alleged errors in OMR sheets.
The JPSC controversy has also resulted in a criminal investigation. The Jharkhand CID has been investigating irregularities connected with JPSC examinations. The Organiser report said around eight people had been arrested in connection with the case.
Among those identified were former JPSC deputy examination controller Shweta Gupta, TDPL director Ramveer Singh, and accused persons identified as Md Usman, Md Ebaad and Abhay Kumar Tiwari. The report said five previously arrested accused were also taken into police remand for questioning. The investigation and the student protests have therefore placed the functioning of the state’s recruitment commissions under intensified public scrutiny.
BJP leaders have demanded a CBI investigation into alleged recruitment scams involving JPSC and JSSC and have called for strict action against those found guilty. BJP MPs led by Jharkhand BJP president Aditya Sahu also raised the issue on Parliament premises, according to the Organiser report. Jharkhand BJP spokesperson Pratul Shah Deo also criticised the alleged irregularities and questioned the state government over the issue. The report noted that the Education portfolio in the state is held by Chief Minister Hemant Soren.
