A division bench of Telangana High Court on Friday declined to stall the Group-I preliminary examination being convened by Telangana State Public Service Commission on Sunday.
Justices Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Namavarapu Rajeshwar Rao dismissed a writ appeal challenging a single judge order not to interfere with the conducting of Group-I preliminary test. The judges, however, made it clear that final selection of the candidates through the TSPSC test would be subject to the outcome of the result of the writ petitions pending before the HC.
Petitioner S. Muralidhar Reddy’s counsel J. Sudheer contended that TSPSC’s credibility was at its lowest ebb with the Special Investigation Team (SIT) making fresh arrests with each passing day. The lawyer argued that probe into the leakage of question paper pertaining to Assistant Engineers and other posts was not yet complete.
Even the charge-sheet was not yet filed in Group-I exam related case. Persons holding top posts like chairman, secretary and members at TSPSC were continuing in their positions even as needle of suspicion was swinging at them, he said. It was not fair on the part of TSPSC to hold the exam without bringing to fore persons responsible for question paper leakage.
The counsel said that close to 500 persons would be selected if the exam was conducted and enter coveted posts. They would hold top positions in the system for next 30-35 years but the TSPSC was not divulging any information as to how the paper leaked. Justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili said the petitioners cannot doubt everyone.
“If question papers leaked... that does not mean TSPSC cannot hold the exam. We should respect TSPSC for its endeavour in conducting the re-examination in a swift manner,” the judge said.
Permission to appear
In a related development, Justice P. Madhavi Devi of the HC directed the TSPSC to permit four candidates, who were arrested in connection with the Group-I question paper leakage and subsequently debarred by TSPSC from writing the exam, to appear for Group-I preliminary exam to be held on Sunday. The petitioners’ counsel Mahesh Raje contended that debarring the four candidates was illegal.
The TSPSC had no power to debar them from writing the exam and it did not mention under what section of law such action was initiated. In another development, Justice C. Vijay Bhaskar Reddy directed the TSPSC to file a detailed counter affidavit explaining the investigation made so far into the leakage of question papers pertaining to Assistant Engineers and Deputy Accounts Officers to enable the court to assess efforts made by the investigating agency and ascertain if there were any lacunae in the probe.
The direction was passed in a writ petition filed by National Students Union of India president Balmoori Venkat Narsing Rao seeking a direction to handover probe in the case to CBI.
