The Central Bureau of Investigation has booked the then Special Secretary in the Uttar Pradesh government, Prabhunath, and unknown officials of the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) for allegedly extending undue favours to some undeserving candidates in the Additional Private Secretary Examination-2010.
Mr. Prabhunath was the Controller of Examination, according to the First Information Report.
The CBI had initiated a preliminary enquiry into the allegation in February 2019. As it turned out, the candidates had to qualify the general Hindi, Hindi shorthand and Hindi typing tests to be eligible for the third phase: computer knowledge test.
The shorthand test was of 135 marks and the candidates had to get minimum 125 to quality, after a relaxation of 5% errors. On June 15, 2015, it was decided at a meeting in the Commission that an extra relaxation of 3% in the errors could be given if the required number of candidates with the minimum qualification marks were not available. In such a circumstance, those with 119 marks could also be considered for the third phase.
As many as 913 of the 1,244 candidates secured 125 marks, while 331 were between 119-124 marks in the shorthand test. The agency alleged that in such a situation, there was no need to give 3% extra relaxation and that only 913 candidates should have been considered for the next phase.
However, as alleged, the UPPSC officials provided a list of the 1,244 candidates to the unit concerned, which, without cross-checking the marks, placed it before Mr. Prabhunath.
Besides, in July 2015, the Commission issued a press release informing that the candidates whose computer certificates were not as per rules would have to submit a representation within a few days. However, it is alleged that Mr. Prabhunath and other officials accepted representations of some candidates even after the last date and some candidates were allowed to change their computer certificates.
Recklessness in evaluation
The agency has also alleged recklessness in the evaluation and scrutiny of answer sheets, stating that various unknown Commission officials were involved at various stages of the examination and evaluation process from 2010 to 2017 and that experts were not involved, due to which several deserving candidates were left out.
In some cases, computer certificates of the candidates were found to be forged, but they were declared qualified.
