U.P. government cancels Assistant Professor exam after STF finds irregularities, malpractice

Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday (January 7, 2026) cancelled the Assistant Professor examination conducted last year by the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission (UPESSC) after an alleged paper leak and illegal extortion racket came to light.

The government added it remains firmly committed to ensuring that all recruitment and selection processes in the State are conducted in a free, fair, transparent, and integrity-driven manner.

“In line with this commitment, the Special Task Force (STF) of Uttar Pradesh, while gathering intelligence on cheating syndicates, received inputs regarding irregularities, malpractice, and illegal extortion linked to the Assistant Professor examination held under Advertisement No. 51 by the Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission, Prayagraj, in April 2025,” an official statement said.

Taking cognizance of the matter, CM Yogi Adityanath ordered a confidential inquiry, the statement said.

“Acting on credible inputs, the STF on April 20, 2025, arrested three accused, Mehboob Ali, Baijnath Pal, and Vinay Pal, who were part of a gang involved in preparing fake question papers for the Assistant Professor examination conducted on April 16 and 17, 2025, and defrauding candidates through illegal means. The arrests were made on charges of examination rigging and extortion,” the statement further read.

Accordingly, the Commission was requested to provide data related to the suspected candidates. “Cross-verification of this data confirmed that the sanctity of the examination had been compromised. In view of these developments, the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Shri Yogi Adityanath, has ordered the cancellation of the Assistant Professor examination,” the statement added.

The U.P. STF registered a case (FIR No. 144/25, Sections 112, 308(5), 318(4) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023) at Vibhutikhand Police Station, Lucknow. To ensure the impartiality and confidentiality of the probe, the then Chairperson of the Commission was asked to resign, as the prime accused, Mehboob Ali, served as the confidential assistant to the outgoing Chairperson.

U.P. CM Yogi Adityanath further directed Uttar Pradesh Education Service Selection Commission to conduct the examination afresh at the earliest, ensuring complete fairness, transparency, and integrity.