LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday cancelled the Assistant Professor examination conducted last year by the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission (UPESSC) after an investigation by the state police’s Special Task Force (STF) uncovered serious irregularities, including paper leakage.
According to an official press statement, the decision was taken on the directions of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who had ordered a confidential inquiry after the STF received intelligence inputs pointing to large-scale irregularities in the examination held in April 2025.
The Chief Minister has directed the UP Education Service Selection Commission, the examination-conducting body, to announce fresh dates for the test at the earliest and ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process.
Around 1.14 lakh candidates had applied for 1,017 Assistant Professor posts in government-aided degree colleges across the state.
The official statement said the STF unearthed a racket involved in preparing fake question papers and cheating candidates during the Assistant Professor examination conducted on April 16 and 17, 2025.
Acting on a tip-off, the STF arrested three individuals, Mehboob Ali, Baijnath Pal and Vinay Pal on April 20, 2025, in connection with exam manipulation and illegal extortion.
An FIR was registered at the Vibhuti Khand police station in Gomtinagar, Lucknow, under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
To ensure fairness and confidentiality of the investigation, the then UPESSC chairperson, Prof Kirti Pandey, was asked to resign as one of the accused, Mehboob Ali, was serving as her confidential assistant. She submitted her resignation in September last year.
According to the statement, during interrogation, Mehboob Ali allegedly confessed to accessing question papers of various subjects during the moderation process and supplying them to candidates in exchange for money. STF sources said the confession was corroborated through detailed investigation and data analysis.
The statement added that, in order to maintain transparency, fairness and integrity in recruitment processes, the UPESSC has been directed to conduct the examination afresh in a fair and transparent manner.
The government said the decision was taken keeping in mind the interests and future of genuine candidates and assured strict action against those involved in examination-related malpractices.