A government exam held on Sunday to recruit clerical staff in Palghar district, has been declared “null and void” after it has emerged that the question paper was leaked on social networking sites.
Two candidates were caught copying with the use of their cellphones. They have been sent to police custody, and a case has been registered against them. The accused—Raju Mahur from Nanded and Rajeev Zadke from Yavatmal who wrote the exam from Aryan Education Society centre—were allegedly speaking to unidentified persons who were dictating answers to them. Rules prohibit cellphones inside the exam hall.
In all, 24,967 candidates from across the state took the exam for 134 posts in the revenue department of Palghar Zilla Parishad. While the 50-mark paper of objective-type questions began at 11 am, the police said that answers to 25 of the questions had been put out on WhatsApp by around 11.45 am, though the exam was to end at 1 pm.
The police are probing as to how the two candidates managed to smuggle their phones into the exam centre. The WhatsApp messages had the correct answers scrawled on the question paper.
The cyber crime cell of the police will probe the origin of the WhatsApp message. An official said that it is not clear if the arrested candidates were responsible for leaking questions.
The rescheduled exam date will be announced later.