DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand Subordinate Services Selection Commission (UKSSSC) has officially cancelled the controversial graduate-level examination held in September.
The government announced the cancellation following the submission of a crucial report by the one-member inquiry commission, promising that a re-examination will be conducted within the next three months.
The decision brings a temporary close to weeks of intense agitation by unemployed youth across the state.
The cancelled exam, conducted on September 21, saw the participation of approximately 105,000 candidates.
The UKSSSC issued orders formally nullifying the recruitment process, though it clarified that this cancellation would not affect other ongoing examinations.
The cancellation was formalised on Saturday after the inquiry commission, headed by a single member, presented its findings to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.
This decisive action follows widespread protests under the banner of the Uttarakhand Unemployed Union, sparked by allegations of a significant paper leak.
The unrest intensified until Chief Minister Dhami personally visited the protest site and assured the youth that their demands would be addressed.
"The youth had given the government a ten-day deadline to act on the matter, and that deadline concludes today," a source close to the administration noted.
"The investigation committee submitted its report, and the government took the necessary decision to scrap the exam."
The scandal erupted when three pages of the question paper were reportedly leaked via mobile phone from a centre in Haridwar during the examination itself and subsequently went viral on social media.
Students immediately demanded the cancellation of the test and a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Chief Minister Dhami had previously announced a CBI inquiry and established a separate single-member commission headed by retired Uttarakhand High Court Justice U.C. Dhyani to investigate the matter internally, alongside forming a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The inquiry commission finalized its report based on widespread public dialogue and feedback collected across various locations before handing it over to the state government.
Earlier on Friday, a delegation of BJP MLAs met with CM Dhami, urging him to cancel the examination in the interest of the students and ensure a fair re-test.
The State Media in charge of the BJP, Manveer Singh Chauhan, stated that the Congress party did not want the demands of the youth regarding the copying scandal to be prioritized.
In contrast, he asserted that Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami followed high political standards by visiting the protesting students, humbly listening to their demands, and agreeing to a CBI inquiry.
