Ranchi, March 1: The Assembly today passed the annual budget of the welfare department even as the Opposition disrupted the House proceedings for the third consecutive day, demanding cancellation of results of the fifth civil services examination.

Clad in T-shirts and jackets painted with slogans, the Opposition members staged demonstrations both inside and outside the House to press for a CBI probe into alleged acts of omission and commission by Jharkhand Public Service Commission (JPSC), the apex recruitment body of the state that conducted the civil service exams.

Members of the JMM, JVM and Congress assembled at the portico of the Assembly and started shouting slogans before the House session commenced at 11am. Later, they went inside and entered the well of the House, turning down parliamentary affairs minister Saryu Roy's request for open discussions.

Urban development minister C.P. Singh also tried to intervene but failed to pacify the agitating legislators. He argued that the JPSC had conducted the exams following the guidelines framed by then Hemant Soren government.

However, the Opposition refused to budge, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the House till noon. Parliamentary affairs minister Roy and Leader of the Opposition Hemant Soren then hurriedly held news conferences in their office chambers to explain their stance.

"Why are they scared of a CBI probe or judicial inquiry? Why is this government silent on how students of a particular coaching institute and a particular subject have cleared the exams while those from other institutes and from other subject background could not? Many among the successful candidates are kith and kin of bigwigs," Hemant alleged.

Roy, on the other hand, furnished documentary evidence to prove that "the JPSC has done only what then Hemant Soren government had directed the agency to do".

The protests continued even after the House assembled again at noon. However, amid chaos and sloganeering, the government withdrew the Jharkhand Marriage Registration Bill, which has been objected to by the Centre, and tabled the gazette notification for the appropriation of accounts bill that has already been approved by the governor.

Later, the welfare department's budget for the 2016-17 fiscal, proposing expenses to the tune Rs 1,816.19 crore, was passed by The House was again adjourned till 2pm. On resumption of the proceedings, the Speaker asked JVM legislative party leader Pradip Yadav to begin discussion on his cut motion but he only demanded a CBI probe. Finally, the cut motion was defeated by voice vote and the budget was passed before the House was finally adjourned for the day.<> voice vote before the House was adjorned for the day.