PPSC rejects allegations of irregularities in PCS Mains results

The Punjab Public Service Commission (PPSC) has rejected allegations of irregularities in the PCS Mains 2025 results, maintaining that claims questioning the selection process stem from an incorrect interpretation of statistics.

PPSC Chairman Retired Major General Vinayak Saini addressed a press conference to explain the centre-wise and classroom-wise selection figures, asserting that the examination and interview shortlisting process had been conducted without irregularities.

Saini said 3,959 candidates appeared for the PCS Mains examination at 12 centres in Patiala. Of these, 751 candidates were shortlisted for interviews. The overall success rate was approximately 19 per cent after accounting for absent candidates, he said.

PPSC rejects claim of 24 per cent selection from one centre

The chairman rejected claims that 24 per cent of the shortlisted candidates had been selected from a single examination centre.

According to him, the highest number of shortlisted candidates from any one centre was 106, representing 14.1 per cent of the total 751 candidates.

The centre had 496 candidates appearing for the examination and was the second-largest among the 12 examination centres. Saini said the comparatively higher number of successful candidates from that centre was therefore understandable.

Only three classrooms had 10 or more successful candidates

Addressing questions about multiple candidates from the same classroom being shortlisted, Saini said the examination was conducted across 179 classrooms.

Only three classrooms had 10 or more candidates shortlisted for interviews. These classrooms recorded 11, 10 and 10 successful candidates, respectively.

He said the average selection across 179 classrooms worked out to approximately 4.2 candidates per classroom. Variations, with some classrooms recording two successful candidates and others eight or 10, were within the range of normal statistical differences, he maintained.

Citing the 2018 and 2020 PCS Mains examinations, Saini said those examinations had also recorded eight to nine shortlisted candidates from individual classrooms, despite having considerably fewer shortlisted candidates overall.

Consecutive roll numbers not unusual, says chairman

The commission also presented figures concerning candidates with consecutive roll numbers being shortlisted for interviews.

Saini said the 2018 examination recorded 26 groups of consecutive roll numbers among 153 shortlisted candidates, while the 2020 examination had 28 such groups among 177 candidates.

In 2025, 118 groups of consecutive roll numbers were recorded among 751 shortlisted candidates.

The chairman said the figures were not unusual when compared with previous examinations and could not, by themselves, establish irregularities.

No absent candidate shortlisted, PPSC claims

Rejecting allegations that candidates who remained absent from the examination had been shortlisted, Saini said not a single absent candidate was selected for the interview stage.

He said biometric attendance, along with manual attendance records, was maintained at all examination centres.

Chairman denies political interference

Responding to allegations concerning political influence in the selection of examination centres, Saini said the locations were determined according to administrative, logistical and security requirements.

He said centres were established in Patiala and adjoining areas to ensure uniform and secure examination arrangements.

Regarding questions about examination centres falling within constituencies represented by ruling party legislators, Saini said such circumstances could arise irrespective of which political party was in power.

He said he had remained away from political matters and claimed that during his nearly one-and-a-half-year tenure at PPSC, neither political parties nor political individuals had contacted him to exert pressure or interfere in the commission’s functioning.

PPSC explains interview shortlisting criteria

Responding to questions about why 993 candidates were not shortlisted for interviews against 331 advertised posts, Saini said the three-times-candidate rule was applied separately across all 21 categories.

He explained that shortlisting depended on category-wise vacancies, male and female reservation provisions and other prescribed rules.

Candidates were required to secure the minimum qualifying marks in each paper and the prescribed overall qualifying marks to become eligible for shortlisting.

If an adequate number of candidates in a particular category failed to meet the qualifying requirements, the commission could shortlist only those candidates who fulfilled the prescribed eligibility criteria, he said.

Commission cites examination security arrangements

In its press note, PPSC said CCTV cameras, control rooms, biometric attendance systems and jammers in every classroom were installed to maintain examination transparency and fairness.

The commission maintained that strict security protocols were followed throughout the examination process.