'Irregularities' force Railway Board to cancel all pending departmental Group C selections

New Delhi: The Railway Board has cancelled all pending departmental selections for Group C posts that were not finalized or approved by March 4, 2025, citing “irregularities” in the process, officials announced on Wednesday.

In a circular issued to the General Managers of all railway zones, the board stated, "Due to several irregularities noticed in the departmental selection in the recent past, it has been decided to revisit the departmental selection framework and all the pending selections/LDCEs/GDCEs (within Group C) which have not been finalised and approved by 04.03.2025 may be treated as cancelled."

The board further instructed, "No further selection may be initiated until further orders. Further instructions to regulate the selections will be issued in due course."

Railway Ministry brings RRB on board for centralized departmental promotional exams

In a significant development, the Railway Ministry has enlisted the Railway Recruitment Board (RRB) to conduct all departmental promotion examinations through a centralized computer-based test (CBT), officials confirmed on Wednesday.

This decision follows the arrest of 26 railway officials from East Central Railway in Uttar Pradesh’s Mughal Sarai by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on charges of leaking departmental examination papers. During the raids, the CBI also seized Rs 1.17 crore in cash.

Previously, departmental promotion exams were conducted by individual railway divisions and zones, but in recent times, several allegations of corruption and the use of unfair practices have surfaced, prompting the Ministry to seek a more transparent solution.

In an official statement, the Railway Ministry said, “Today, a high-level meeting was conducted by the Railway Board. It has been decided that all departmental promotion examinations will be carried out by RRB through a centralized examination via CBT.