Patiala, June 26 -- The Punjab excise and taxation inspector recruitment examination held on May 31 has landed in a controversy after the Punjab Subordinate Services Selection Board (PSSSB) released a merit list containing several unusual and apparently fictitious candidate names, including "State Bank of India", "Photo", "Smile", "Ek Din Karmawala" and "GIF". The result was declared on Tuesday.

The anomalies have triggered concerns over data-entry lapses, casting a shadow over the credibility and transparency of the recruitment process. The results for the 197 vacant posts were uploaded to the PSSSB's official website following the written examination for which 1,43,450 candidates had applied. Soon after the list went public, candidates...