Two months after NIE expose, India Post scraps hiring examination

MADURAI: Two months after Express exposed the scam in an examination conducted by India Post for recruitment of Postmen and Mail Guards for Tamil Nadu postal circle, the department scrapped the test on Thursday.

“The competent authority has cancelled the Postman/Mailguard Direct Recruitment Examination for the vacancy year 2015-16 held on 11.12.2016,” said the Tamil Nadu postal circle website (dopchennai.in).

“Candidates across the State knew that there had been some malpractice in the examination once the results were published. They were shocked,” R Karuppasamy, a candidate, told Express. And though several candidates asked the Postal department about it through RTI applications, they were merely informed that the authorities were conducting an inquiry into the matter. No details were revealed.

“Many young people prepare hard for competitive exams hoping to get a good job in the government. The scam, through which candidates from Haryana scored high marks in Tamil, shattered their dreams,” he said. “The department should conduct a take appropriate action against those involved. The action should be transparent so that such malpractices are not be repeated,” he added.

The exam was conducted on December 11, 2016. 

The recruitment test for the posts of Postman and Mail Guard in Postal and Railway Mail Service divisions in Tamil Nadu Circle was conducted on December 11 last year. The eligibility for the job is a pass in the Class X. The examination, with multiple choice questions, was for 100 marks, including 25 for General Knowledge, 25 for Mathematics, 25 for English and 25 for Tamil.

When the results were published on March 14, it was found that candidates from Haryana had secured the top marks — more than 20 out of 25 even in Tamil.

The suspicious candidates said the portal for the test, which should show the results, was blocked. Following this, candidates from Madurai sought an inquiry into the issue. A petition was submitted to the district administration demanding re-examination.

DMK working president M K Stalin sent a representation to Minister of State for Communications Manoj Sinha demanding an impartial inquiry into the irregularities in conducting the examination.