Published Feb 12, 2026 | 11:24 AM ⚊ Updated Feb 12, 2026 | 11:24 AM
Andhra Pradesh High Court. (Supplied)
Synopsis: A Division Bench comprising justices Battu Devanand and Avadhanam Hariharanath Sharma passed the order while hearing a batch of petitions. The court directed that an officer, not below the rank of the Additional General of Police, must head the SIT. The directive underscored the need for a fair, credible and time-bound investigation.
The High Court of Andhra Pradesh has directed the State government to set up, or reconstitute, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe alleged irregularities in the evaluation of the Mains answer scripts of the Public Service Commission-held Group-I examination.
The directive on Wednesday, 11 February, added to the long-running controversy surrounding the Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) Group-I examination.
A Division Bench comprising justices Battu Devanand and Avadhanam Hariharanath Sharma passed the order while hearing a batch of petitions. The court directed that an officer, not below the rank of the Additional General of Police, must head the SIT. The directive underscored the need for a fair, credible and time-bound investigation.
The Bench directed the government to furnish details of the SIT to the Registrar (Judicial) of the High Court within three days. It also ordered the Chief Secretary to file a compliance report within a week. The SIT has been asked to complete the probe and submit its final report by 16 March.
Raising serious concerns over the integrity of the evaluation process, the court instructed the SIT to verify the safety and authenticity of the answer scripts of selected candidates. It asked investigators to examine whether any tampering had occurred and to conduct forensic analysis wherever necessary.
To ensure transparency and rule out local interference, the court directed the SIT to seek assistance from forensic experts outside Andhra Pradesh, preferably from a Central Forensic Science Laboratory. The message was clear: leave no stone unturned.
The key issues identified for investigation include a comparison of barcodes on the answer sheets used during valuation in Vijayawada with the original Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets and corresponding data.
The SIT has also been asked to scrutinise the answer scripts of non-selected candidates and review the papers of 100 candidates who ranked just below the last selected candidate.
Expressing apprehension that candidates already selected and currently serving in government posts might influence the investigation, the court directed the authorities to transfer them to non-sensitive positions until the completion of the probe. The Bench observed that even the slightest shadow of doubt must be dispelled to uphold public confidence in the recruitment process.
The case pertains to the APPSC Group-I services recruitment conducted under Notification No. 27/2018. The Preliminary examination was held in 2019, while the Mains examination took place in December 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
