Ranchi, Jun 14 (IANS): The Jharkhand High Court Thursday ordered a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in 16 examinations conducted by the Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC) for recruitment to civil and other services posts since the creation of the state in 2000, a law official said.

A division bench of Justice R.K. Merethia and Justice D.N. Upadhaya ordered the probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation when it took for hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Budhadeo Oraon, questioning an earlier investigation by the state Vigilance Bureau.

"The high court has ordered a CBI probe in all the examinations conducted by the JPSC to select deputy collectors, deputy superintendent of police, doctors, lecturers and other officials since the creation of the state," said Rajiv Kumar, lawyer of the petitioner.

"The court has also directed 171 officials selected through the second JPSC examination to stop working from Thursday. Their salaries will be stopped," Kumar said.

Earlier, based on the Vigilance Bureau report, 39 deputy collectors and deputy superintendent of police, who joined service through the second JPSC examination, were dismissed in 2010.

Former JPSC chairman Dileep Prasad and member Shanti Devi are in jail in connection with the irregularities in the conduct of the examinations.