After NEET, Major Malpractice Emerges in UPPSC Exam, Answer Sheets of 50 Candidates Manipulated

Prayagraj: A major scandal has erupted in the Uttar Pradesh PCS Judicial Exam, with allegations of malpractice resulting in the alteration of 50 answer sheets during the main examination. The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) has admitted to the Allahabad High Court about the tampering of answer sheets. 

The PCS Judicial Exam in Uttar Pradesh is conducted for selecting judges for subordinate courts. During a court hearing, UPPSC confirmed that answer sheets were manipulated by altering their codes. Consequently, three junior officers have been suspended. The next hearing is scheduled for July 8, 2024.

UPPSC has taken action against five officials and employees for allegedly tampering with a candidate’s answer sheet. UPPSC Secretary Ashok Kumar reported that Section Officer Shiv Shankar, Review Officer Neelam Shukla, and Assistant Review Officer Bhagwati Devi have been suspended for negligence in the investigation.

Additionally, departmental proceedings have been initiated against Deputy Secretary Satish Chandra Mishra, and permission has been sought from the state government to take action against retired Assistant Review Officer Chandrakala.

The issue surfaced when candidate Shravan Pandey, who appeared for the PCS (J) Main Exam-2022, filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court. Under the Right to Information Act (RTI), Pandey requested his answer sheets and noticed discrepancies in handwriting and torn pages. The High Court then directed UPPSC to present six of Pandey's answer sheets on June 5, 2024. Subsequently, UPPSC began scrutinizing all 18,042 answer sheets of the 3,019 candidates who took the main examination to ensure confidentiality during evaluation.

The PCS-J 2022 Main Examination was conducted between May 22 and 25, 2023. Results were declared on August 30, 2023, and the marks were released in November 2023. As of now, 232 candidates have reviewed their answer sheets, with the process continuing until July 30, 2024.