The UP PCS-J recruitment process faced controversy as the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) admitted to irregularities in the Civil Judge exam. It was revealed that 50 answer sheets were mistakenly swapped. This error has raised concerns over the integrity and fairness of the examination process. The UPPSC is currently addressing the issue to rectify the situation.
Uttar Pradesh: In a shocking disclosure, the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) acknowledged serious discrepancies in the main examination for the recruitment of Civil Judges under the PCS J examination.
This revelation follows closely on the heels of alleged manipulations in the NEET examination for medical admissions, highlighting persistent issues within public sector recruitment processes.
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The UPPSC admitted before the Allahabad High Court that due to the negligent handling of answer sheets by officials responsible for coding, the answer sheets of 50 candidates mistakenly swapped. This significant error discovered only after the final results had been declared, with many candidates already having joined their respective posts. In response, the commission suspended three officials deemed responsible for this oversight and initiated departmental actions against others involved.
The issue came to light when Shravan Kumar Pandey, an affected candidate, filed a petition in court. He asserted that the handwriting on the evaluated answer sheet did not match his own, prompting a review of the results. The UPPSC confirmed that bundles containing 25 answer sheets each mistakenly interchanged, leading to incorrect coding and subsequent evaluation errors.
The Allahabad High Court now demanded that the commission outline the steps being taken to rectify the situation for the affected candidates. The court also questioned what measures will be implemented if any of the appointed candidates are found to be wrongly selected due to this error. The UPPSC emphasized that the mix-up involved answer sheets from the English paper, worth 100 marks.
Simultaneously, the Commission began allowing candidates to view their answer sheets starting on June 20. Candidates who participated in the PCS-J 2022 main examination can examine their copies until July 30, based on their roll numbers.
To date, 232 candidates have taken advantage of this opportunity. The UP Judicial Service Civil Judge (Main) Exam 2022, which held from May 22 to May 25, 2023, aimed to fill 302 positions. The results announced on August 30, 2023, and the marks released in November 2023.
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In light of the controversy, the commission committed to ensuring transparency. They have announced that all candidates from the PCS J 2022 examination will be allowed to view their answer sheets. Additionally, the UPPSC reportedly taking measures to prevent such errors in the future, ensuring stricter oversight and handling of examination materials.
The case, overseen by Justices S.D. Singh and Anish Kumar Gupta of the division bench, is slated for additional hearings on July 8. In the meantime, the UPPSC has been directed to provide a comprehensive affidavit to the court. This document should detail their strategies for correcting the erroneous results and outline their plans regarding the candidates who have already been employed based on the compromised results.