While the court has stayed the issuance of recruitment letters, it has not halted all proceedings. The TSPSC may continue with certificate verification, which is expected to conclude by 22 April.
Published Apr 17, 2025 | 11:13 PM ⚊ Updated Apr 17, 2025 | 11:13 PM
Synopsis: The Telangana High Court has stayed the recruitment of TSPSC Group-1 candidates following allegations of irregularities in the October 2024 Mains examination evaluation. Acting on a petition filed by 20 aspirants, the court ordered a temporary halt to the appointment process while allowing certificate verification to proceed until 22 April.
The Telangana High Court has put a temporary hold on the recruitment of candidates selected through the Telangana State Public Service Commission’s (TSPSC) Group-1 Mains examination, held in October 2024, amid allegations of irregularities in the evaluation process.
Justice Namavarapu Rajeshwara Rao issued the interim order following a writ petition filed by 20 candidates, who argued that the integrity of the examination had been compromised.
The petitioners called for a court-monitored inquiry and either a re-evaluation or a fresh examination, citing procedural lapses that they claim distorted the final General Ranking List.
While the court has stayed the issuance of recruitment letters, it has not halted all proceedings. The TSPSC may continue with certificate verification, which is expected to conclude by 22 April.
The writ petition was filed by Matta Paramesh, a businessman from Yadadri-Bhongir district, along with 19 others. They alleged discrepancies in the evaluation process and argued that the results did not reflect a fair assessment.
They requested judicial oversight through a court-monitored or independent inquiry, and the issuance of a revised ranking list following re-evaluation or re-examination.
Senior Counsel B Rachna Reddy, representing the petitioners, argued that the lapses were serious enough to justify a stay on further recruitment proceedings.
However, Counsel Rajasekhar, appearing for the state and the TSPSC, dismissed the allegations. He maintained that the Mains examination was “conducted in a fair and transparent manner”.
He urged the court to issue its judgment by 21 April, pointing out that the verification of certificates concludes on 22 April and appointments are scheduled to begin on 30 April.
Justice Rajeshwara Rao, citing personal commitments, said he would be unavailable on 21 April. He therefore directed the state and the TSPSC to suspend the appointment process until further orders. The case will next be heard on 28 April.
The latest stay order adds to a series of delays in filling Group-1 posts in Telangana.
In 2022, the recruitment process was derailed under the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government when the October examinations were cancelled due to a question paper leak.
A fresh attempt in 2023 also faltered after errors were found in both the question papers and Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets.
Although the Mains were eventually conducted in 2024, protests soon followed over Government Order (GO) 29, with aspirants alleging that the revised rules undermined reservations.
GO 29 amended a clause in the Pattern of Examination laid out in GO 55, which governed the 2022 recruitment. GO 55 had stipulated a 1:50 vacancies-to-candidates ratio for admission to the Mains, while requiring adherence to reservation rules under General Rules 22 and 22A of the Telangana State and Subordinate Services Rules (1996).
While GO 29 retained the 1:50 clause, it modified the language on how to address shortfalls in reserved categories:
“Shortfall in respect of candidates in reserved categories as laid down in rules 22 and 22A of the Telangana State and Subordinate Service Rules, 1996, action shall be taken to include such number of candidates from the merit list beyond a 1:50 ratio, as required to meet the shortfall in the respective categories.”
The implication here is that if there was a shortfall of candidates deserving of reservation, the government could fill the vacancies from the merit list.
Some aspirants believe this undercuts the constitutional ideal of reservations by providing an unfair advantage to more privileged communities in the merit lists.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
