THE HINDU DATED 18th AUG 2026

Summary of Important News Items and Editorials- 288

THE HINDU DATED 18th AUG 2026

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1. Jharkhand scraps key examinations after prolonged student protests

Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren announced cancellation of the JSSC-CGL examination and examinations conducted since 2014 by blacklisted agency TSDL, responding to 24 days of student protests over alleged recruitment irregularities. The government also proposed examination reforms and said a committee headed by senior IAS officer Amitabh Kaushal would suggest measures for conducting examinations transparently. Protesters welcomed the cancellations but maintained their demand for a CBI investigation, arguing that accountability for alleged irregularities remained unresolved. The episode demonstrates that recruitment examinations are fundamentally linked to equality of opportunity and institutional legitimacy. Cancellation can remedy a compromised selection process, but it also imposes costs on genuine candidates and cannot substitute for identifying responsibility. The logical way forward is preventive reform: secure question-setting, credible examination agencies, transparent procurement, technological safeguards, independent audits and time-bound grievance redressal. The larger governance lesson is that public recruitment must command confidence through fairness, transparency and demonstrable institutional accountability.

2. Supreme Court allows Ram Temple SIT investigation to conclude independently