Civil Services Exam Results Trigger Row; Students Allege Irregularities

November

2026

The Punjab State Civil Services Combined Competitive Examination (PSCSCCE) 2025 Mains result has come under scrutiny after candidates alleged irregularities in the shortlisting process and sought an independent investigation. The Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) declared the results on 4 Nov, shortlisting 751 candidates for the interview stage against 331 vacancies. However, soon after, aspirants flagged unusual patterns in the selection list, including groups of consecutive roll numbers, and candidates allegedly being shortlisted despite not appearing for the Mains examination. An analysis circulated by candidates has identified 26 groups of consecutive roll numbers among the 751 candidates shortlisted for interviews. These groups account for 86 candidates. The result soon triggered a political controversy, with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleging malpractices and demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry. BJP leaders alleged that 45% of candidates qualified from a single room or specific centers, and called for the resignation of Panjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains. However, working president of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC), Sukhwinder Singh Danny Bandala, slammed both the union and the state governments over controversies surrounding the competitive examinations. Bandala stated that repeated questions over the credibility of recruitment exams were jeopardizing the future of the youth. He demanded an independent central probe into the controversy, including scrutiny of seating arrangements, roll number allocation, evaluation of answer sheets and marks awarded to candidates. However, in what seems like a distraction from the results, on 5 Nov, the state government announced a plan to provide free online coaching for the Union Public Service Commission Civil Services Examination and PSCSCCE examinations to 1K selected college students. The program, led by Bains, will cover 750 students from government colleges and 250 from private colleges. Meanwhile, insisting that the Agnipath (short service) recruitment scheme has not been rolled back, on 4 Nov, Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. N S Raja Subramani, announced that all serving Agniveers will be ‘absorbed as regular soldiers after six years of service, provided they are willing to continue, physically fit, and disciplined’. Under the Agnipath scheme initiated in June 2022, soldiers were recruited for a four-year term, with a provision to retain only 25% in regular service. The announcement came just three weeks before 18,300 Agniveers were to exit the armed forces after completing their tenure (earlier coverage).