UPPSC Announces RO and ARO 2023 Examination Results Following Major Paper Leak Incident
The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) has officially declared the results for the Review Officer (RO) and Assistant Review Officer (ARO) Examination 2023, concluding a recruitment process that faced significant delays exceeding two years. These delays were primarily attributed to a substantial paper leak that disrupted the initial examination proceedings.
Selection Statistics and Top Performers
Out of the total 419 candidates who have been selected, 81 are women, constituting approximately 19% of the successful applicants. The commission has filled all 419 vacancies, which were initially advertised as 411 but later revised upward.
In the RO (Secretariat) category, which had 322 vacancies, Anil Pandey secured the coveted first rank. He was closely followed by Aditya Pratap Singh in second place. Notably, Laxmi Verma emerged as the highest-ranking woman candidate in this category.
For RO (UPPSC), Bhanu Mishra claimed the top position, while Digvijay Singh secured first rank in the RO (Revenue Council) category.
In the ARO (Secretariat) segment, with 40 vacancies, the top three ranks were occupied by Shamsul Huda, Ashish Kumar Dwivedi, and Anupam Kumar Upadhyay, respectively. Kunwar Shivam Singh topped the ARO (Revenue Council) category, Ganesh Tripathi was first in ARO (UPPSC), and Sajal Kumar Singh secured the premier spot in ARO (Accounts).
The Paper Leak Controversy and Subsequent Actions
The recruitment process commenced on October 9, 2023. However, the preliminary examination held on February 11, 2024, was marred by a widespread paper leak incident. Answer keys were circulated on various social media platforms on the very same day, leading to protests at multiple examination centers across the state.
In immediate response, the commission took several decisive steps:
- Recommended an investigation by the Special Task Force (STF) on February 12, 2024.
- Constituted a three-member internal committee to probe the allegations thoroughly.
- Received directives from the chief minister's office for a comprehensive review of the entire recruitment process.
Consequently, the examination was officially cancelled on March 2, 2024. The UPPSC subsequently reconducted the exams with significantly enhanced security measures to prevent any recurrence of malpractice.
Implementation of Stricter Examination Protocols
To ensure the integrity of the recruitment process, the commission implemented several key measures:
- Enforcement of the Public Examination (Prevention of Unfair Means) Act, 2024, providing a stronger legal framework against cheating.
- Scheduling the preliminary examinations for both RO/ARO 2023 and PCS 2024 on a single day, addressing previous candidate concerns about staggered exam schedules that had raised security issues.
- Adopting comprehensive monitoring and surveillance protocols during the reconducted examinations.
UPPSC Secretary Ashok Kumar confirmed that all vacancies have been provisionally filled following the successful completion of this rigorous process. The detailed results are currently available for access on the official UPPSC website. Additionally, the commission has announced that marks obtained by individual candidates along with category-wise cut-off scores will be published shortly, providing complete transparency to all applicants.
