After conceding, UPPSC sets new date for PCS prelims

Prayagraj: Day after the Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) conceded to aspirants’ demands, it rescheduled the Provincial Civil Services (PCS) preliminary examination to December 22 even as students’ called off the protest.

However, there was still no clarity regarding the rescheduling of the Review Officer-Assistant Review Officer (RO-ARO) exam.

The PCS prelims will now be held in two shifts on the same day. The first session will run from 9:30 to 11:30 am, and the second from 2:30 to 4:30 pm. Originally scheduled for December 7 and 8, the examination was postponed in response to protests over its two-day schedule. The agitation had been underway since November 11.

According to ACP (Civil Lines) Shyamjeet Singh, student leader Pankaj Pandey formally announced the end of the agitation. But some people are still sitting in front of the Commission. “The commission has promised a fair process through a high-level committee, but we need a written assurance that the RO-ARO exam will also be conducted in one shift,” said one protester.

UPPSC officials argue that logistical constraints make a single-shift RO-ARO exam difficult. Over 10.7 lakh candidates are registered for the test, and government directives mandate the use of approved centres within a 20-km radius of district headquarters, ruling out private or substandard facilities. Even with the inclusion of universities, medical colleges and engineering institutions, the number of available centres falls short of the requirements for a single-shift exam.

As an alternative, the UPPSC has opted to conduct the RO-ARO exam over multiple days, using a normalisation process to ensure fairness in evaluation. This decision has judicial approval, as the Supreme Court upheld normalisation in its January 2024 ruling in Uttar Pradesh State and Others vs. Atul Kumar Dwivedi and Others.

Omkar Nath Singh, Under Secretary of the UPPSC, emphasised that a committee has been formed to ensure transparency and fairness in the RO-ARO selection process. “The committee will examine all aspects and submit its report soon,” he stated.

Protesters argue that normalisation compromises fairness.