The Staff Selection Commission (SSC) has firmly stated that it will not cancel the Selection Post Phase 13 examination held between July 24 and August 1. However, candidates who encountered technical failures or unfair conditions will be offered retests, SSC Chairman S Gopalakrishnan announced amid mounting protests.

The exam, conducted across 194 centres in 142 cities, saw abrupt cancellations, software glitches, biometric failures, and wrongly allotted remote centres affecting roughly 5 lakh candidates. Two centres Pawan Ganga in Delhi and Educasa in Uttar Pradesh had entire sessions scrapped, impacting around 2,500 students.

Protests erupted nationally, especially at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, where thousands of aspirants voiced their anger over mismanagement. Many reported travelling long distances only to find exams cancelled without notice. Social media campaigns like #SSCMisManagement and #SSCSystemSudharo trended widely.

Chairman Gopalakrishnan confirmed that SSC has contacted vendor Eduquity Career Technologies for full clarification. “If even one candidate is found aggrieved, we will arrange a retest,” he affirmed. Despite criticism, he resisted calls to replace the vendor immediately, pointing to tender timelines and vendor improvement over time.

The SSC also held limited retests on August 2, but turnout was only 60% (around 8,048 out of 16,600 scheduled). The commission pledged to investigate thoroughly and ensure smoother operations in upcoming exams.