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List of paper leak incidents happened in Yogi Adityanath's UP

During the tenure of Yogi Adityanath's government in Uttar Pradesh, there have been multiple instances of exam paper leaks, affecting various competitive and recruitment exams.

By News Desk 13 Feb 2024

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List of paper leak incidents happened in Yogi Adityanath's UP — Representational image of paper leak

During the tenure of Yogi Adityanath's government in Uttar Pradesh, there have been multiple instances of exam paper leaks, affecting various competitive and recruitment exams. Since the Yogi government came into power in March 2017, more than half a dozen significant examination paper leaks have been reported.

These incidents have raised serious concerns about the integrity and reliability of the examination process in the state. The first notable leak occurred just four months after the government took office, setting a troubling precedent for the years that followed.

One of the earliest leaks was the Inspector Recruitment Review in July 2017. The Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board had to postpone the Inspectors Online Recruitment Test due to a paper leak on WhatsApp. This exam was a significant event, as it aimed to fill 3,307 vacant positions for direct recruitment in the Uttar Pradesh Police.

Despite the extensive arrangements, including examination centers in 22 districts and around nine lakh applicants, the leak led to the cancellation of the test for 1.20 lakh applicants scheduled for July 25 and 26.

In response to these recurring issues, the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet, under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's leadership, approved an ordinance in 2024 aimed at curbing paper leaks and unfair practices in exams.

This ordinance proposes severe penalties, including life imprisonment and fines up to Rs 1 crore for individuals found guilty of leaking exam papers. It also stipulates that the costs incurred due to compromised exams will be recovered from the responsible solver gangs.

Companies and service providers involved in such malpractices will face permanent blacklisting, reflecting the government's stringent stance on maintaining the integrity of the examination process.

List of Exam papers leaked in UP

July 2017: Inspector Recruitment Review

The Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board had held the Inspectors Online Recruitment Test (CBT) on 25-26 July 2017 but it was postponed before that. The reason was a paper leak on WhatsApp. The Uttar Pradesh Police Recruitment and Promotion Board had decided to conduct the online examination in 2017 on 3,307 vacant positions for direct recruitment for the post of Inspector in the Uttar Pradesh Police.

The online exam started on July 13 and will run until July 31. Of 3,307 positions, there were 2,400 men's positions, 600 women's positions, 210 PAC platoon commander positions, and 97 fire officer positions. More than twenty lakh youngsters had applied for these 3,307 positions, of which about nine lakh applicants had been invited by the board for the online exam.

Examination centres have been set up in 22 districts of the state for the online examination for the post of Inspector. About 60,000 applicants appeared for the exam in one day. On July 25 and 26, 1.20 lakh applicants were supposed to take the exam, but it was cancelled.

February 2018 UPPCL paper leak

The Power Corporation Limited of Uttar Pradesh’s online recruitment exam was leaked in February 2018. In this case, a person named Parminder, a resident of Jaunpur, was arrested. At the same time, the state Yogi government had done the investigation.

After the discrepancies in the recruitment, examinations came to light in the investigation report of the STF, the examinations were cancelled and aside from this, the Principal Secretary (Energy) Alok Kumar asked the chairman of the Energy Service Commission A.K. Electricity Saxena and secretary G.C. Dwivedi was also suspended.

Tubewell driver test leak September 2018

The Tubewell Driver (General Selection) Examination-2016 papers conducted by Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission on September 2, 2018 were leaked. STF had arrested some people from Meerut in this case.

The Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (UP STF) has arrested several individuals in Meerut with the Hindi question paper for the Tubewell Operator exam. Consequently, the commission will soon announce new dates for the examination. The exam, originally scheduled for September 2, 2018, was to be conducted across various centers in the state, including Agra, Bareilly, Allahabad, Gorakhpur, Kanpur, Varanasi, Lucknow, and Meerut. This recruitment aimed to fill 3,210 vacant posts for Tubewell Operators.

The selection process comprises a written test and an interview, with selected candidates being offered a pay scale of Rs 5200-20200 plus a Grade Pay of Rs 1900. The commission will release the new exam dates shortly, so candidates are advised to stay updated through the official site.

Lucknow Examination (UPTET) 2021

The Teacher Eligibility Test (UPTET) has been postponed in Uttar Pradesh. The UP government had postponed the exam after the document was leaked shortly before the exam. The yogi governors were attacked after the exam quiz was revealed and the exam was postponed. The opposition began to question the cancellation of the exam during the government rules. Congress has also raised questions about cancelled exams and document leaks during the Yogi administration.

Among the major leaks this year was the Uttar Pradesh Teacher Eligibility Test (UPTET) paper, a crucial exam for those aspiring to teach primary and upper primary classes in state board-affiliated schools. The Maharashtra government had to cancel the recruitment test for 14 engineering and other posts in the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority due to a leak.

The NEET exam also faced controversy this year, as the question paper was found on social media about half an hour before the test commenced. Additionally, the Gujarat Subordinate Services Selection Board (GSSSB) written test paper was allegedly leaked and reportedly sold for nearly Rs 15 lakh.

PET exam paper leaked in August 2021

The questionnaire for the preliminary examination of PET (Preliminary Eligibility Test) carried out by the Subordinate Services Selection Board was leaked. The examination was carried out under the surveillance of 70,000 CCTV cameras in 75 districts across the state. But after the exam questionnaire came out, the officials' senses were blown away.

August 2021 College Entrance Examination Paper Leak

BEd Joint Entrance Examination 2021-23 was held on 6th August 2021 in 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. After the first paper turn of this exam, the discussion intensified that the exam paper has been leaked. The article began to go viral in some WhatsApp groups. However, when the government finished the Investigation, this paper leakage case turned out to be false.

September 11, 2021, NEET Exam

One day before the Eligibility exam cum Entrance Test (NEET) (UG), the entrance exam for medical studies, it was claimed that the document was leaked. The presentation was to be held on September 12. On September 11, many Twitter users claimed that the NEET questionnaire had been leaked. However, officials denied the leaked report, calling it fake news. On investigation, it turned out to be forged.

February 12 2024, RO, ARO paper leak

The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) examination for the posts of Review Officer (RO) and Assistant Review Officer (ARO) was marred by chaos and controversy on Sunday, as several candidates alleged paper leak, missed the exam, or ran away with the answer sheet.

In Machhati, candidates refused to appear for the exam after finding the Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets late and open at the examination center SM National Inter College. They came out of the center and created a ruckus at the gate, claiming that the paper was leaked and demanding the cancellation of the exam.

The authorities, however, denied any paper leak and said that the exam was conducted smoothly and honestly. Muhammadabad SDM Ashutosh Kumar and CO Atar Singh managed to convince the candidates and got the exam started late by 15 minutes.

UP brings ordinance to curb paper leaks

The Uttar Pradesh Cabinet approved an ordinance on Tuesday to curb paper leaks and unfair practices in exams. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath chaired the meeting where the ordinance was given the green light.

This move comes amidst a political controversy over irregularities in entrance exams. Recently, the UGC-NET exam was canceled after its question paper was leaked on the darknet. Allegations of irregularities have also surfaced regarding the NEET-UG exam held in May. Additionally, two entrance exams have been postponed in the past week.

The ordinance, which the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet has approved, is expected to be presented in the state legislative assembly next month.

According to the ordinance, individuals found guilty of leaking exam papers could face life imprisonment and fines up to Rs 1 crore. If an exam is compromised due to a leak, the costs incurred will be recovered from the solver gangs responsible.

"Solver gangs" are groups that leak exam papers and provide proxy candidates to sit for the exams. The ordinance also stipulates that companies and service providers involved in such malpractices will be permanently blacklisted.