‘Breach of public trust’: Telangana HC’s scathing critique of TSPSC Group-I exams

After months of hearings and a detailed examination of records, the court has set aside the results of the October 2024 exams and directed a fresh examination.

Synopsis: The Telangana High Court has ordered re-evaluation of the answer scripts of the Group I mains examination by applying the moderation method by the TSPSC Group- or it said it would be inclined to cancel the examinations. The ruling is both a catalogue of systemic failures and a set of directions for reform. It noted flaws including centre and language bias, identical marks for hundreds of candidates, and evaluation by unqualified examiners, and declared the recruitment process a breach of public trust.

The Telangana High Court’s recent judgment in a batch of writ petitions challenging the Telangana State Public Service Commission’s (TSPSC) Group-I Mains examination of October 2024 stands as one of the most severe indictments of a recruitment body in recent memory.

Pronounced by Justice Namavarapu Rajeshwar Rao on Tuesday, 9 September, the ruling is both a catalogue of systemic failures and a set of directions for reform.

It criticised TSPSC’s conduct of examinations in detail, and orders re-evaluation of answer scripts or it would be inclined to cancel the examinations.

The Court told the TSPSC to either re-evaluate the answer scripts by applying the moderation method manually and announce the results, or the court would be inclined to cancel the Group-I mains exams.

Also Read: ‘Telangana misused EPIC photos for facial recognition system, deleting voters,’ activist alleges

The controversy

The TSPSC issued Notification No 02/2024 on 19 February 2024 to recruit 563 Group-I officers across key administrative posts. The prelims were held on 9 June 2024, with more than 4 lakh candidates appearing.

About 21,000 aspirants qualified for the mains, which took place from 21–27 October 2024 across 46 centres in Hyderabad, Rangareddy, and Medchal-Malkajgiri districts. On 30 March 2025, TSPSC released the General Ranking List (GRL) and called candidates for certificate verification.

Petitions were filed alleging serious irregularities in evaluation, centre bias, language discrimination, and violations of rules.

After months of hearings and a detailed examination of records, the court ruled in favour of the petitioners, setting aside the results.

South First breaks down the court’s findings and the directions issued to TSPSC.

Major procedural lapses and systemic issues

Violation of fairness and transparency
The court held that public recruitment must adhere to absolute standards of transparency and fairness. TSPSC failed by:

• Not publishing provisional marks lists before the GRL
• Withholding subject-wise marks
• Denying candidates any means of cross-verification

The court said this was not a minor lapse but a constitutional violation of equality of opportunity under Articles 14 and 16.

Identical marks for hundreds of candidates
The court noted that 719 candidates had received identical marks, many with consecutive hall ticket numbers. Examples include:

• Candidates 240902470 and 240902471 both got 253 marks
• Others had identical scores like 373.5 or 270.5

This was deemed statistically impossible in descriptive exams and suggested either mechanical or manipulated scoring.

Improper evaluation practices
The court criticised TSPSC’s choice of evaluators:

• Environment questions were marked by economics faculty
• Telangana Movement papers were corrected by history or political science lecturers unfamiliar with competitive exam evaluation

This caused inconsistent marking, with some candidates benefiting from lenient evaluators while others suffered from strict ones. Without a system of moderation, TSPSC violated judicially established norms.

Arbitrary awarding of marks
Candidates who wrote well-prepared answers received single-digit marks. In one case, a candidate who scored 141 in the UPSC essay got just 41 in the TSPSC essay for a comparable answer. The court held this was arbitrary evaluation, not mere subjectivity.

Also Read: ‘Offensive, not illegal’: Telangana HC quashes FIRs against BRS worker, upholds free speech

Deviation from notified procedure
Notification No 02/2024 required publication of provisional marks and subject-wise scores. TSPSC ignored this and directly issued the GRL. Numbers also shifted: 21,093 candidates in one web note, 20,161 in a press note, 21,085 in the final list. The court ruled that deviation from rules was not a technical lapse but a serious illegality.

Bias and malafide conduct
Patterns that suggested bias:

• Centres 18 and 19 (women’s colleges) produced disproportionate top rankers
• Telugu-medium candidates (nearly 8,000) barely succeeded, while Urdu-medium candidates (only 10) had unusually high success
• Different hall tickets for prelims and mains made tracking difficult

The court called this systemic unfairness.

Systemic compromise of exam sanctity
Evaluation of 1.26 lakh descriptive papers was allegedly done in 90 days. Some examiners marked 1,400+ papers per day. The court found this impossible if done properly, implying mechanical or perfunctory evaluation. Double or triple valuation, unauthorised by rules, further eroded legitimacy. The court concluded that once sanctity is lost, the process is void.

Impact on aspirants
More than four lakh aspirants invested years of effort, money, and emotion. TSPSC’s negligence inflicted irreparable damage on their hopes. The court called this a breach of public trust, not a mere lapse.

Procedural and systemic issues
The most detailed list of problems appears from page 178 of the judgment.

Procedural issues

• Multiple hall ticket numbers – Candidates had different numbers for prelims and mains, making tracking impossible
• Non-publication of subject-wise marks – Only aggregate scores were given, violating transparency

Other issues

• Double and triple valuation – Done without any rule or uniform policy; declared arbitrary
• Absence of moderation – No system to correct examiner variability, violating fairness
• Unrealistic evaluation timeline – 1.26 lakh papers corrected in 90 days; some examiners marked 1,400 daily. Deemed humanly impossible
• Centre bias – Some centres had unusually high top ranks, others had none
• Language bias – Telugu-medium candidates fared poorly despite large numbers; Urdu-medium candidates had disproportionate success
• Identical marks – Hundreds of candidates, often consecutive, got identical totals. Statistically impossible
• Arbitrary marks – Candidates scored drastically lower in TSPSC than in comparable UPSC papers, proving inconsistency

Also Read: Kaleshwaram a dud or lifeline? ‘Inconsistent’ Congress faces flak for ‘double speak’

Directions for reforms and accountability measures

The court held that TSPSC not only broke its own rules but also acted with malafide intent. The exam’s sanctity was compromised at a systemic level. The entire results process, including certificate verification, was vitiated and unsustainable in law.

After cataloguing failures, the court issued a series of binding directions:

Re-evaluation of answer scripts

• The General Ranking List (30 March 2025) and all subsequent steps were set aside.
• No candidate could claim rights from them.

Or fresh mains examination

• Either re-evaluation of answer scripts or cancellation of examinations

Strict compliance with rules

• TSPSC must:
  • Publish provisional marks lists before the GRL.
  • Disclose subject-wise marks.
  • Avoid deviations without notice.

Appointment of qualified evaluators

• Only subject experts with competitive exam experience may evaluate.
• Retired faculty and coaching tutors are barred.
• Papers must be assigned only to examiners competent in the relevant subject.

Moderation process

• A proper moderation system must be used, including:
  • Chief examiner committees.
  • Pre-evaluation meetings.
  • Real moderation, not mere scaling.

Transparency

• TSPSC must:
  • Publish subject-wise marks of all candidates.
  • Disclose evaluator lists with qualifications.
  • Digitally scan and preserve scripts.
  • Handle recounting requests openly.

Language equality

• TSPSC must:
  • Engage evaluators competent in Telugu, Urdu, and English.
  • Ensure equal treatment across media.
  • Publish language-wise outcomes.

Time-bound completion

• The fresh mains and results must be completed within six months.
• Progress reports must be filed in court.

No appointments until completion

• The government is barred from making appointments until the fresh results are out.

Accountability and reform

• The State government must:
  • Review TSPSC functioning.
  • Frame a code of conduct and standard operating procedures.
  • Protect aspirants’ interests.

(Edited by Dese Gowda)