These serious slippages have been showing for decades but the people in power have either decided to close their eyes or were complicit in perpetuating this mess. We have become habituated to exam paper leaks for quite some time. I recall that in the beginning years of the new millennium, papers of IIM conducted entrance exams, popularly known as CAT, got leaked, writes former IAS officer V.S.Pandey
Some recent devastating happenings have exposed the fault lines in our administrative system. NEET and NET paper leaks have revealed that even our apex institutions are incapable of consistently conducting conventional exams in an honest and transparent manner. Paper leaks have become a regular feature of our nation’s life .We keep hearing about exams being cancelled or postponed, throughout the country, due to mismanagement and paper leaks- causing immense suffering to the hapless people . Recently the police constable exam paper leaks in Uttar Pradesh led to cancellation of the police recruitment process proving yet again that there is something seriously wrong in the way governments are functioning and taking decisions. To top it all, the saga of an IAS probationary officer creating a ruckus publicly by demanding all kinds of inadmissible perks for herself has opened a Pandora’s box by exposing the serious ills in the functioning of a prestigious institution like the Union Public Service Commission and Government of India Department dealing with the service matters of the highest civil services in our country. As per media reports, the officer in question got appointed to the IAS on the basis of OBC and visual disability certificate though apparently the so called “vision disability” remains questionable. According to media reports , the concerned officer repeatedly failed to present herself before the designated government appointed medical board despite half a dozen notices to do so. Despite her failure to pass the medical test, how could she get the appointment letter for IAS issued by the Government of India is a big question which begs an answer.
These serious slippages have been showing for decades but the people in power have either decided to close their eyes or were complicit in perpetuating this mess. We have become habituated to exam paper leaks for quite some time. I recall that in the beginning years of the new millennium, papers of IIM conducted entrance exams, popularly known as CAT, got leaked. As is usual, the IIM fraternity and its leadership tried their utmost to prove that no paper leak had occurred -though the evidence was contrary to this narrative. Within hours of the news of paper leak in CAT coming into the public domain, Ministry of HRD, the then Ministry of Education, based on its own enquiry – ordered cancellation of the CAT exam and ordered reexamination- to the dismay of the IIM fraternity , but restoring the faith of the people in the system and the government. The issue was resolved expeditiously thus setting at rest the controversy and avoiding the prolonged litigation which ensues in various courts and avoiding harassment to lacs of hapless students. Unfortunately, this time the NEET paper leak matter has been allowed to drag on and is yet to see closure and is currently prolonging the uncertainty for tens and thousands of students.
It is the primary responsibility of every democratically elected government to ensure that they prioritise public interest while taking decisions. Sadly that has not been so for decades for reasons best known to the political executives who only are authorised to exercise the state power as per our constitution. The irony is that while the constitution demanded full integrity and honesty from our political class and bureaucracy in performance of their duties, in practice their conduct is far from this expectation. When people with dubious integrity are chosen to head important positions , the consequences will certainly be disastrous for the nation. Merit and integrity has been bypassed by almost all the governments, whether at the center or states, while choosing people to head critical positions. In Uttar Pradesh ,the then government chose to appoint as the Chairman of the State Public Service Commission a person with a criminal background and lacking requisite qualifications-despite objections from various quarters. The consequences were catastrophic and the PSC became a den of corruption. The situation reached such a nadir that for years the State Public Service commission could not conduct state civil services exams and when they did, it got mired in humungous corruption and nepotism resulting in continued agitation for months by hapless aspirants. Finally on a petition filed by public spirited individuals , the High Court of Allahabad ordered removal of the Chairman and ordered a CBI enquiry into all the exams held under his chairmanship. The tragic part is that the then chief minister of Uttar Pradesh remained silent and continued to support his corrupt appointee till the last. The UPPSC is yet to recover from the damaging effects of that period. Recently the prestigious Provincial Judicial Services exam had to be cancelled due to reports that hundreds of copies were changed to help some candidates. Nothing could be more shameful than this .Still no heads have rolled as the people heading these organizations are the favorites of the current ruling dispensation. The future of meritorious aspirants and our nation is in jeopardy.
The rot that has set in our system and various instruments of our government is a result of the sustained corruption and favoritism shown in appointing dishonest and undeserving people to powerful positions. The nation is paying a heavy price for the mis-endeavors of our elected governments. This culture of impunity and amorality has been consciously created and built on over decades. Governance has to realize that their corrupt ways have already caused irreparable damage to our systems .They need to change. Continuing with the prevailing culture has proved detrimental and if still unchecked, the damage caused will be irreversible now.
(Vijay Shankar Pandey is former Secretary Government of India)
