The Uttar Pradesh government has taken the drastic step of cancelling the state's Assistant Professor recruitment examination following a major scandal. The decision came after the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF) unearthed an alleged racket involving the leak of question papers and extortion of money from candidates.
CM's Direct Order Leads to Exam Cancellation
Officials confirmed that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath personally ordered the cancellation of the examination, which was conducted by the UP Education Service Selection Commission (UPESSC) on April 16 and 17, 2025. The move was described as necessary to protect the future of honest candidates and to uphold the integrity of the recruitment process. The government stated that all selection procedures must be "independent, fair, transparent and impartial".
The cancelled exam was meant to fill 1,017 vacant posts of assistant professors in state colleges. The UPESSC has now been instructed to conduct a completely fresh examination at the earliest, with guarantees of total transparency.
STF Investigation and Arrests
The scandal began to unravel when the UP STF, during its intelligence operations against cheating mafias, received specific inputs about serious irregularities in the Assistant Professor exam. The information suggested the circulation of fake question papers and the extortion of money from aspirants.
Acting on a confidential inquiry ordered by the Chief Minister, the STF swung into action. On April 20, 2025, they arrested three individuals: Mehboob Ali, Baijnath Pal, and Vinay Pal. A government spokesperson alleged that the accused were part of a gang that prepared counterfeit question papers and deceived candidates by falsely promising access to the original papers.
An FIR was registered at Lucknow's Vibhuti Khand police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Breach of Sanctity and Leadership Changes
The investigation took a significant turn when it was discovered that the prime accused, Mehboob Ali, was serving as the confidential assistant to the then chairperson of UPESSC, Kirti Pandey. During interrogation, Ali reportedly confessed to obtaining question papers of various subjects during the moderation process and selling them to candidates.
To ensure an unbiased probe, the chairperson, Kirti Pandey, was asked to resign in September 2025. The post remained vacant until December 2025, when former Director General of Police (DGP) Prashant Kumar was appointed as the new head of the commission. The state government even amended the selection criteria for the chairperson's post to facilitate his appointment.
Officials stated that data analysis from the commission and scrutiny of mobile phone records confirmed that the sanctity of the examination had been compromised. The CM's final order to scrap the entire exam was framed as a measure to maintain public trust and ensure justice for deserving candidates.
