E-Paper
Paper leak allegations baseless: PPSC
An internal inquiry has been conducted. The commission is also ready for any other independent probe, says PPSC chairman Jatinder Aulakh.
Amid backlash over the alleged agriculture development officer (ADO) paper leak, the Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) has refuted the allegations after getting a clean chit from its own fact-finding committee. The exam was held on June 30 in which around 4,100 candidates appeared for 200 ADO posts in the department of agriculture.
PPSC chairman Jatinder Aulakh on Thursday said the exam was held in a transparent and impartial manner. Aulakh said to HT that the commission was also ready for any other independent inquiry. “Our PPCS secretary has already conducted an inquiry. Our internal inquiry did not find any trace of paper leak after comprehensive verification of the documents and videographic records,” said Aulakh.
Notably, those who appeared in the exam have been demanding a high-level probe into the allegations. A video of an online coaching tutor on YouTube has been making the rounds on social media wherein the tutor claimed that he had received reports of paper leak.
The PPSC chairman claimed that the allegations appeared to have been made with the intent to tarnish the reputation of the constitutional body (PPSC). Assuring that the paper was not leaked, he said an inquiry was being recommended to the state to investigate the allegations. If these allegations proved false, strict legal action ought to be taken against those who were attempting to create distrust among the public, he said.
When asked about the allegations of Punjab agriculture officials taking bribe for leaking the paper, Aulakh clarified that no official from the Punjab government, even from the department of agriculture, was involved in paper setting and the conduct of the exam.
Regarding the allegations that candidates were allowed in examination centres even after the entry time, Aulakh said video records were checked and no candidate was allowed to enter the examination centres after 11 am.
“Biometric attendance, 5G jammers and the deployment of security personnel for thorough frisking ensured that the exam was held in a fair manner,” he said.
