PPSC Rejects Claims of Irregularities in PCS Mains Resultsਪੀਪੀਐੱਸਸੀ ਨੇ ਪੀਸੀਐੱਸ ਮੇਨਜ਼ ਨਤੀਜਿਆਂ ਉੱਤੇ ਦੋਸ਼ ਖਾਰਜ ਕੀਤੇ

The Punjab Public Service Commission has rejected allegations of irregularities in the Punjab Civil Services Mains results, saying the patterns flagged by aspirants come from an incorrect reading of the statistics. Commission chairman retired Major General Vinayak Saini addressed a press conference in Patiala on Thursday to explain the centre-wise and classroom-wise figures.

Saini said 3,959 candidates appeared for the PCS Mains examination at 12 centres in Patiala, and 751 were shortlisted for interviews against 331 advertised executive and allied administrative posts. The overall success rate was about 19 per cent after accounting for absent candidates, he said.

The numbers behind the row

The chairman rejected the claim that 24 per cent of the shortlisted candidates had come from a single examination centre. According to him, the highest number shortlisted from any one centre was 106, or 14.1 per cent of the total 751. Only three classrooms had 10 or more candidates shortlisted, with 11, 10 and 10 successful candidates, and the average across 179 classrooms worked out to about 4.2 candidates per room.

On the consecutive roll numbers cited by aspirants, Saini said 118 groups of consecutive roll numbers were recorded among the 751 shortlisted candidates in 2025, and that the figures were not unusual when compared with previous examinations. He also rejected the claim that candidates who had remained absent had been shortlisted, saying not a single absent candidate was selected for the interview stage.

How the row began

The results of the Punjab State Civil Services Combined Competitive Examination 2025 Mains were declared late on 4 November, provisionally shortlisting 751 candidates for interviews. Aspirants pointed to three patterns in the published list: groups of consecutive roll numbers, a high share of shortlisted candidates from certain centres, and claims that absent candidates had qualified. The BJP, the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal all demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation probe, and candidates submitted a memorandum to the President, the Prime Minister, the Punjab Chief Minister and the CBI seeking an independent investigation.

The Aam Aadmi Party has dismissed the allegations as baseless, saying more than 75,000 government jobs have been given strictly on merit under the Bhagwant Mann government. The claims have not been independently established, and no conclusion about malpractice can be drawn from the roll-number patterns alone.

The row continues

The opposition has not accepted the commission's explanation. Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon on Friday rejected the clarification, calling it a self-clean chit, and reiterated the demand for a high court-monitored CBI inquiry, a forensic audit of CCTV footage and answer sheets, and an immediate freeze on the interviews. Document scrutiny for shortlisted candidates is scheduled from 11 to 17 November at the commission's Patiala headquarters, and interviews are tentatively set for the first week of December.

What has the PPSC said about the PCS Mains results?

The commission says there were no irregularities and that the patterns flagged by aspirants come from an incorrect interpretation of the statistics.

How many candidates were shortlisted for PCS interviews?

751 candidates were shortlisted for interviews against 331 advertised posts, from 3,959 who appeared for the Mains examination.

What happens next in the PCS row?

Document scrutiny runs from 11 to 17 November in Patiala, with interviews tentatively scheduled for the first week of December, while the opposition continues to demand a CBI probe.