On August 5, a day after the 2020 UPSC results were announced, a certain hashtag that goes by #UPSC_Scam started trending on Twitter. The origin of the hashtag is believed to be a tweet by activist and journalist Dilip Mandal, who pointed out that while there are 927 vacant posts, the results were declared only for 829 of them, leaving 98 posts vacant.

"Only 829 candidates have come to fill 927 posts. Apart from this, a confidential list has been made. There is a scam here, [sic]," Mandal tweeted. The hashtag was soon used by various Twitterati and was one of the most popular ones.

However, the UPSC was quick to issue a clarification. Through a statement, it said that "against 927 vacancies for Civil Services Examination, 2019, the Commission in the first instance, has released the result of 829 candidates and has also maintained a Reserve List in accordance with Rule-16 (4) & (5) of Civil Services Examination Rules, 2019." The commission added that this is not a new practice and that it has existed for decades. The reserve list is apparently for candidates from reserve categories who are selected at general standards and wish to choose services and a cadre, based on their reserve status.  The UPSC added that the list is confidential.

However, Mandal tweeted that the clarification isn't satisfactory or believable. "The government should examine how many seats of SC, ST, OBC have been transferred to the upper castes in the last five years. Every year, figures are released. If not done wrong, then why is it being hidden," he questioned