The Punjab and Haryana High Court has put the Pharmacy Officer recruitment process on hold until the next hearing in connection with the alleged paper leak and cheating controversy surrounding the Faridkot recruitment examination. The development comes after a petition sought cancellation of the examination and a fresh test, citing alleged irregularities during the recruitment process. The court's interim order has brought the recruitment process for 454 Pharmacy Officer posts to a halt for now. The next hearing is expected to determine the further course of the recruitment process and the petition seeking a re-examination.
What is the Faridkot Pharmacy Officer exam controversy?
The controversy relates to the recruitment examination conducted on July 19, 2026, for 454 Pharmacy Officer posts under Punjab's Health and Family Welfare Department. The examination was conducted by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS). Soon after the examination began, some candidates were allegedly caught using electronic devices to cheat. Allegations of high-tech cheating and a possible paper leak subsequently triggered anger among candidates and raised questions over the fairness and security of the examination. Students and student organisations have since held protests, demanding a thorough investigation into the alleged irregularities.
Students demand cancellation and fresh examination
Student organisations have been demanding that the examination be cancelled and conducted afresh after an impartial investigation into the alleged paper leak and cheating. Large-scale protests were also held outside BFUHS in Faridkot. The protesters have argued that recruitment examinations must be conducted through a transparent and secure system so that candidates who prepare for such tests do not lose faith in the recruitment process. Another major demand from student groups is the introduction of a stringent anti-paper leak law in Punjab. They have called for stronger safeguards to prevent the use of electronic devices and other methods of cheating in competitive and recruitment examinations.
AAP denies paper leak allegations
The controversy has also triggered a political response, with the ruling Aam Aadmi Party denying that the Pharmacy Officer examination was leaked. AAP leaders have maintained that the incident involved attempts to cheat using Bluetooth and other electronic devices during the examination rather than an actual paper leak.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had also defended his government's record, saying that there had been no paper leak in the state during its four-and-a-half-year tenure. Mann said that as soon as the alleged Bluetooth-based cheating came to light, the police acted promptly, arrested the accused and sent them to jail.
What does the High Court order mean for candidates?
The High Court's decision to keep the recruitment process on hold means that the selection process for the 454 Pharmacy Officer vacancies cannot proceed until the matter comes up for further consideration. For candidates who appeared in the examination, the key question now is whether the existing test will eventually be upheld or whether a fresh examination will be ordered. The court's proceedings will therefore be closely watched by candidates, particularly those demanding a re-test on the grounds that alleged cheating could have compromised the integrity of the examination.
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