The Gujarat government cancelled the competitive exam for the recruitment of Junior Clerks’ hours before its scheduled time on January 29, as the exam’s question paper got leaked in Vadodara.
As many as 9.5 lakh candidates had registered for the exam for 1,181 posts which was to be held at 2,995 centres across the State.
This is for the third time, the exam to recruit junior clerks has been cancelled owing to exam paper leak or compromised recruitment process.
Today’s episode is a latest in the string of recruitment exam paper leaks that the Gujarat government has been facing for a decade now.
In a press release, the Gujarat Panchayat Service Selection Board said the Police arrested one person with leaked question paper, forcing the authorities to cancel today’s exam.
Acting on a tip-off, police detained a suspect and recovered a copy of the question paper of the exam early Sunday morning, after which the Gujarat Panchayat Service Selection Board decided to cancel the exam in the wider interest of the candidates, the board said in a statement.
Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal took to Twitter alleging that almost every exam in Gujarat gets leaked. “Why? The future of crores of youth is ruined,” he said.
The board will now reschedule the exam and inform the candidates.
“The junior clerk (administrative/accounting) exam was to be conducted in different districts between 11 am and 12 noon on January 29. As per the information received from the police early Sunday morning, they detained a suspect and upon his interrogation seized a copy of the question paper from his possession.”
Lakhs of candidates from villages and far flung areas had already arrived at the exam centres across the State. The board told the candidates to not go to the centre and new date will be announced in a few days.
The State government has also announced that those candidates travelling by the State transport busses will not be charged on production of the exam entry card.
This was the 15th instance of exam paper leak in the State recruitments in last 10 years in the State.
Published - January 29, 2023 09:49 am IST
