A seismic jolt has struck Punjab’s public employment sector! The revered Punjab and Haryana High Court has dramatically halted the crucial Pharmacy Officer recruitment process, casting a long shadow over 454 vital posts. This stunning judicial intervention, effective until the next hearing, follows explosive allegations of a massive paper leak, sparking outrage and a petition demanding the entire examination’s cancellation and a fresh re-test. The ruling has also triggered a fierce political backlash from the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), with party chief Sukhbir Badal launching a scathing attack on the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government.
The court’s notice to the Punjab government underscores the gravity of the accusations: an alleged organized cheating racket compromised the integrity of the examination. This development has fueled an already simmering debate about transparency and accountability in state-run hiring processes.
SAD Rages Over Pharmacy Officer Recruitment Scandal
SAD supremo Sukhbir Badal wasted no time in unleashing his criticism following the High Court’s decision. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), he directly targeted Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, and Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains. Badal’s post didn’t mince words, stating, “Guru Dokhi @bhagwantmann, super CM @arvindKejriwal and liar no. 1 @harjotbains ~ hope now you know that it’s a paper leak and not a minor cheating case.”
He then challenged the AAP government to take concrete action against those implicated, mockingly questioning whether Bains would instead host a “made-up” dinner with professors, a veiled jab at past controversies. The opposition’s fury is palpable, with demands for the immediate resignations of both Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Health Minister Balbir Singh amidst the growing scandal surrounding the Pharmacy Officer recruitment.
The interim order, delivered by Justice Sandeep Moudgil on July 28, explicitly dictates that any further selection for these Pharmacy Officer positions remains contingent upon the final outcome of the ongoing petition. The plea, lodged by Keshav Kamboj and others via advocate Sarthak Gupta, specifically sought to invalidate the written examination held on July 19 for the 454 posts under the Department of Health and Family Welfare.
Petitioners argued vehemently that the entire examination had been irredeemably compromised by a highly organized, sophisticated inter-state cheating racket, thereby undermining the integrity of the selection process. They requested the quashing of all subsequent steps, including the evaluation of answer sheets and the declaration of results. Citing a Punjab Police press release from July 19 and a subsequent FIR, they asserted that these irregularities fundamentally violated Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality and equal opportunity in public employment. The Punjab government, having received an advance copy, sought time to file a written statement, with the case now slated for further deliberation on August 10.
Police Uncover Sophisticated Cheating Network
In a significant breakthrough on July 19, Punjab Police announced they had dismantled a complex, inter-state cheating operation specifically targeting the Pharmacy Officer examination. The crackdown led to the apprehension of seven key conspirators and twenty-eight candidates involved in the illicit scheme. Startlingly, authorities recovered twenty-seven battery-operated wireless cheating devices, along with evidence of covert pen cameras and real-time dictation being employed during the examination itself.
Investigations revealed that the racket demanded exorbitant sums, ranging from Rs 3.5 lakh to Rs 13 lakh per candidate, assuring them passing marks through fraudulent means. This brazen attempt to subvert a critical public service examination highlights the broader challenges in ensuring fair government selections. Nearly 7,000 aspirants had appeared for these 454 vital positions across 25 centers in Faridkot, Kotkapura, and Ferozepur, with Baba Farid University of Health Sciences conducting the test on behalf of the Health and Family Welfare Department. The integrity of any public selection hinges on fairness, and this alleged corruption surrounding the Pharmacy Officer recruitment is a direct assault on that principle, leaving thousands of honest candidates in limbo.
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