The Chhattisgarh State Tax Department has cancelled the selection of 42 employees appointed as Commercial Tax Inspectors after an inquiry found multiple irregularities in the departmental examination and selection process. The affected employees, who had been promoted from clerical positions, will return to the posts they held before their selection as inspectors.
The action follows an inquiry into departmental examinations conducted for clerical employees. Reports indicate that the 2022 examination, held on June 26, was declared void after the inquiry identified problems ranging from reservation-roster procedures and missing examination records to answer-sheet evaluation and re-evaluation.
Reservation Roster and Attendance Records Missing
One of the findings concerned the allocation of posts according to the applicable reservation roster. The inquiry found that category-wise posts had not been determined through the required roster procedure before the examination.
Investigators also found that original attendance registers from examination centres were unavailable. The absence of these records made it difficult to independently establish which employees had appeared for the examination.
The inquiry further noted that a consolidated examination result and marks statement had not been properly prepared or maintained, making verification of the final merit list difficult.
Similar Answers Found in Selected Candidates' Papers
The inquiry raised additional questions after finding similar or identical answers across the answer sheets of several selected candidates.
According to the findings reported by the department, there was no satisfactory explanation in the available records for the similarities. The inquiry considered this a significant issue affecting confidence in the examination result.
The prescribed coding system intended to conceal candidates' identities during evaluation was also not followed. Such coding is designed to separate a candidate's identity from the answer sheet being assessed.
Re-Evaluation Process Also Came Under Scrutiny
The inquiry found that marks on some answer sheets were increased during re-evaluation. According to the reported findings, some candidates became eligible for selection only after their marks were revised upward.
The selection committee's chairman and members, along with the examination controller, were also involved in the re-evaluation before the final selection list was issued. The inquiry said this raised concerns about the independence and fairness of the evaluation process.
The department also found discrepancies between records showing the number of answer sheets purchased, used and left unused during examinations conducted in 2021 and 2022. The available documents did not adequately explain the differences.
Why the Entire Selection Was Cancelled
The inquiry concluded that the problems were not limited to one isolated stage of the examination. Issues were identified in the reservation process, examination administration, record keeping, answer-sheet handling, evaluation, re-evaluation and final selection.
Because important records were missing or inconsistent, the department determined that simply carrying out another evaluation or preparing a revised merit list would not reliably resolve the underlying problems. The entire examination and selection process was therefore cancelled.
The department's decision highlights why accurate records and independent evaluation procedures are important in government recruitment and departmental promotions. Proper documentation also plays an important role in auditing services in india, particularly when organisations need to review whether administrative processes and supporting records have been maintained consistently.
42 Employees to Return to Original Posts
The selection of all 42 employees as Commercial Tax Inspectors has now been cancelled. The appointment order issued on the basis of the examination has also been revoked, and the affected employees will be restored to their respective original posts and postings.
The controversy had also been raised in the Chhattisgarh Assembly in 2025, when MLA Anuj Sharma sought information from the government concerning the examination, selection committee, reservation roster and related irregularities.
The departmental action now shifts attention to the administrative process that allowed the irregularities to occur and whether any further action will follow against officials or others responsible for conducting and overseeing the examination.
What This Means
The cancellation does not by itself establish that every selected employee personally participated in wrongdoing. The department's stated basis for cancelling the appointments is that the examination and selection process could not be considered sufficiently reliable because of the multiple procedural and record-keeping irregularities identified by the inquiry.
The affected employees will consequently return to the positions they held before their selection as Commercial Tax Inspectors.