Suspend further recruitment until inquiry Jakhar on Punjab PCS exam results

Chandigarh, Nov 11 (PTI) Punjab BJP leader Sunil Jakhar on Wednesday demanded an impartial inquiry into the recently declared results of the Punjab Civil Services (PCS) Mains examination, saying many candidates raised questions over them.

     Earlier, opposition parties had alleged irregularities in the results of the Punjab Civil Services (PCS) Mains examination.

     However, the Punjab Public Service Commission, which conducted the exam, refuted the allegations of any irregularity.

     Speaking to reporters here, Jakhar demanded that the government immediately order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and suspend the remaining stages of recruitment, including interviews, until the questions raised are satisfactorily answered.

     The former Punjab BJP chief said the candidates' main demand was for the commission to publish names and categories of those who qualified, along with their roll numbers and other relevant selection details, so that the process could be scrutinised.

     He called for an impartial inquiry into the reported clusters of roll numbers in the results and into how several candidates seated in the same row had qualified. He asked why the government had yet to publish the names of the successful candidates if everything was in order.

     Jakhar said the deadline for meeting the Class 10 Punjabi-language requirement had been extended repeatedly after the recruitment examination process began.

     According to him, the extensions were granted after the previous PPSC chairperson had retired and before the new chairperson took office.

     Questioning AAP leaders Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, Jakhar asked why those who organised a series of protests over the NEET examination controversy were now silent.

     Jakhar said candidates Abhishek and Rankeerat Singh raised concerns about how the examination was conducted and evaluated.

     They asked why the roll numbers of 86 of the 751 successful candidates appeared in consecutive clusters at several points on the list.

     They sought details on the required qualifications of evaluators, how answer scripts were assessed by subject, the marking scheme and the procedures for moderation and standardisation. They also asked whether the evaluation process was consistent, impartial and auditable.

     The candidates questioned the absence of names and a category-wise selection list in the published results, the number of candidates selected in each category relative to the vacancies allocated, repeated changes to the Punjabi-language eligibility rules and vacancies that remained unfilled in reserved categories, including the ex-servicemen category, Jakhar said.

     They called for an inquiry into allegations that coaching institutes received information before the results were announced and that exam centres failed to follow a uniform procedure for opening sealed bundles of question papers.

     They also asked for scrutiny of how the process was video-recorded. He assured the candidates that he would raise the matter with the Union home minister and support them in their legal fight.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)