File Photo: Union Minister Jitendra Singh.
There is no case of leakage of question papers or any recruitment racket in the competitive examinations conducted by Union Public Service Commission (UPSC), the government said today.
However, it said over 1,200 candidates have found to be involved in malpractices such as possession of mobile phones in the examination halls and impersonation, etc., in the examinations conducted by Staff Selection Commission in the past four years.
"In case of UPSC, there has been no case of leakage of question papers nor any recruitment racket in the competitive examinations conducted by the Commission during the last three years and in the current year," Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions Jitendra Singh said in a written reply to Lok Sabha.
In case of examinations conducted by SSC, there is no evident case of leakage of question papers, he said.
Mr Singh said a total of 1,243 candidates - 246 in 2012, 400 in 2013, 528 in 2014 and 69 between January and June 2015- have been found indulging in the malpractices such as possession of mobile phones in the examination halls, use of blue tooth, impersonation, etc., for the last three years and the current year.
The action taken against such candidates includes filing of criminal cases against them, debarring them from appearing in SSC examinations for a period ranging three to five years, and cancellation and holding of examination at centres from which such cases of large scale malpractices have been reported, the Minister said.
"The investigating agencies are of the view that organised groups have been active who facilitate malpractices through advanced electronic devices for monetary considerations," he said.
To avoid cases of cheating and copying in examinations conducted by SSC and to ensure transparency in the recruitment process, measures taken by the Commission include use of jammers at sensitive venues to check use of blue tooth technology, mobile signals and videography at sensitive venues to record the opening and distribution of question booklets, among others, Mr Singh said.