Uttar Pradesh Govt Cancels Assistant Professor Exam After STF Busts Paper Leak, Cheating Racket; Fresh Test Ordered

Lucknow, Jan 07: The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered the cancellation of the Assistant Professor examination conducted in April 2025 under Advertisement No. 51 by the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission, Prayagraj. The decision has been taken to uphold the principles of fairness, transparency, and integrity in recruitment and selection processes across the state.

STF inputs point to organised cheating

As part of intelligence gathering against organised cheating networks, the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) received information regarding serious irregularities, including examination fraud and illegal money collection, related to the Assistant Professor examination. In view of the gravity of the matter, the Chief Minister ordered a confidential inquiry into the allegations.

Three arrested for exam malpractice

Based on the information received, the STF took action and, on April 20, 2025, arrested three accused — Mehboob Ali, Baijnath Pal, and Vinay Pal — for their alleged involvement in examination malpractice and illegal monetary dealings.

The accused were found to be part of a gang that prepared fake question papers and cheated candidates by promising undue benefits in the examination conducted on April 16 and 17, 2025.

FIR registered, commission chairperson asked to step down

In connection with the case, an FIR (Case Crime No. 144/25) was registered at Vibhutikhand police station in Lucknow under Sections 112, 308(5), and 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

To ensure fairness and confidentiality of the investigation, the then chairperson of the Commission was asked to step down, as one of the accused, Mehboob Ali, was serving as the confidential assistant to the outgoing chairperson.

Question papers accessed during moderation process

During interrogation, Mehboob Ali admitted that he had accessed question papers of various subjects during the moderation process and shared them with several candidates in exchange for money. The STF confirmed this confession through detailed investigation and data analysis.

Data analysis reveals wider compromise

Further scrutiny involving mobile data analysis of the arrested accused and related candidates, along with inputs from intelligence sources, led to the identification of additional suspicious individuals. Data sought from the Commission corroborated that the sanctity of the examination had been compromised.

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Fresh examination ordered

In light of these findings, the Chief Minister has ordered the cancellation of the examination and directed the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission to conduct the examination afresh at the earliest, ensuring complete transparency and fairness.