Punjab Government to reconduct naib tehsildar exam

Ravneet Singh

Patiala, February 12

The Department of Revenue and Rehabilitation has directed the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) to cancel the naib tehsildar exam and reconduct it.

On May 22, 2022, the exam for 78 posts of naib tehsildars was conducted. While the applicants claimed that the question paper should had been set in English and Punjabi, chairman of the commission had stated that the rules stipulated that the question paper be set in English only.

As a result, the candidates knocked the doors of the Punjab and Haryana High Court over the matter. After the PPSC released the result in October 2022, allegations of mass cheating came to the fore. Thus, the candidates took the matter to court. Even, the Vigilance Bureau started an investigation in the matter. The police nabbed a number of accused and said the modus operandi included use of bluetooth and GSM devices for cheating.

In December 2022, the PPSC decided to use jammers and biometric authentication of candidates.

In a recent order, the Department of Revenue and Rehabilitation stated that an inquiry report was sent by the office of Director General of Police regarding an FIR registered in the case on November 11, 2022. It said the Patiala police had confirmed cheating in the paper after which the government decided to scrap the merit list of shortlisted candidates and conduct the exam afresh.

Exams under lens

• Last year, candidates who appeared for the deputy district attorney exam, reached court alleging tampering
• Cases have also been filed in relation to other exams, including those for recruitment of 34 managers in the Department of Industries and Commerce