Pharmacy Officer exam row: Punjab and Haryana High Court seeks CBI response

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has sought a response from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a plea requesting an independent probe into alleged cheating and a paper-leak racket concerning the Pharmacy Officer recruitment examination. This development comes as the recruitment process for 454 posts under the Punjab Health Department has been stayed by the court, affecting nearly 7,000 candidates who appeared for the examination on July 19, 2026.

The High Court’s decision to involve the CBI brings the ongoing state police investigation under increased scrutiny. The petitioners, including Keshav Kamboj, have raised concerns about discrepancies between police statements and the First Information Report (FIR), as well as the clean chit provided to examination officials.

Allegations of an Inter-State Cheating Racket

Petitioners, represented by advocate Sarthak Gupta, have alleged the existence of an organized inter-state cheating racket that used electronic devices and operators positioned outside examination centers. This network reportedly charged candidates between Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 13 lakh for assistance during the examination. The alleged methods included how we use pen cameras and real-time dictation to aid candidates.

The Punjab Police had claimed to have busted an interstate cheating racket, conducting a crackdown across 25 examination centers in three districts: Faridkot, Kotkapura, and Ferozepur. Police arrested seven key conspirators and 28 candidates, recovering 27 battery-operated wireless cheating devices. However, police maintained that while an organized cheating network was detected, there was no evidence of an actual question-paper leak or involvement of examination officials.

Scrutiny of the State Police Investigation

The High Court’s request for a CBI response highlights questions surrounding the state police investigation. Petitioners have pointed out differences between the accused named in the police press note issued on July 19, 2026, and those listed in the FIR registered on July 20, 2026. Also, they have questioned how the role of examination officials could be ruled out without a detailed investigation, especially given the allegations of an organized racket.

Justice Sandeep Moudgil heard the matter, with Punjab Assistant Advocate General T.P.S. Walia appearing for the state. The petitioners contend that the alleged irregularities violate Articles 14 and 16 of the Constitution, which guarantee equality before the law and equal opportunity in public employment.

Recruitment Process on Hold and Political Reactions

The recruitment process for the 454 Pharmacy Officer posts, which were advertised by Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot, remains on hold due to the High Court’s interim order passed on July 28, 2026. The next hearing of the case is scheduled for September 17, 2026, following a previous hearing on August 10, 2026. This stay leaves the prospects of thousands of candidates uncertain.

The Pharmacy Officer exam row has also escalated into a political issue in Punjab. Opposition parties, including the BJP, Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal, and others, have demanded accountability from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government and Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann. They allege that the government is downplaying the incident as high-tech cheating rather than a paper leak and have called for the resignation of Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains and Health Minister Balbir Singh. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has denied allegations of paper leaks during his administration, stating that police acted promptly to arrest those involved in high-tech cheating attempts.

Written by Nishit Kumar

Nishit Kumar is a senior EdTech industry leader with over a decade of experience in building and scaling education platforms, shaping their product, content, and growth strategy. At FindMyCollege, Nishit oversees content and editorial strategy, guiding topic selection and content frameworks to ensure accuracy, relevance, and student-first value across the website.

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