Published Feb 06, 2026 | 4:45 PM ⚊ Updated Feb 06, 2026 | 4:45 PM
The division bench's ruling directly addresses the order issued by Justice Namavarapu Rajeshwar Rao.
Synopsis: The latest judgement would impact over 30,000 candidates who took the Group-1 Mains, particularly the 563 selected individuals. For these aspirants, the ruling ends a period of prolonged uncertainty that began with the single-judge order in September 2025.
The High Court of Telangana has set aside a single-judge order that had invalidated the results of the Group-1 Mains examination conducted by the state Public Service Commission.
While setting aside the earlier order, the division bench of Chief Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, also comprising Justice GM Mohiuddin, on Thursday, 5 February, allowed the formalisation of appointments to 563 Group-1 posts.
Earlier, the court allowed provincial appointments of candidates who had qualified in the Mains examination conducted in October 2024.
The court gave the order after hearing appeals filed by the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TGPSC) and selected candidates against the single-judge bench’s 9 September 2025 order.
After hearing all parties, the division bench set aside the single-judge order, and restored the validity of the Mains results declared on 10 March 2025, and the general rank list published on 30 March 2025.
The preliminary examination for recruitment to Group I services was initially held in 2022 but faced multiple disruptions due to allegations of irregularities, leading to re-examinations. The Mains examination, which saw approximately 30,000 candidates appear, was conducted from 21 to 27 October 2024.
The division bench’s ruling directly addresses the order issued by Justice Namavarapu Rajeshwar Rao, who had set aside the Group-1 Mains results and the associated general ranking list.
The single-judge bench identified what it described as “glaring lapses” in the evaluation process conducted by the TSPSC. The court directed the commission to either manually re-evaluate all answer scripts using a moderation method in line with Supreme Court guidelines or to re-conduct the entire Mains examination within eight months.
Justice Rao’s 222-page order emphasised the need for transparency and fairness in the evaluation, stating that failure to complete the re-evaluation would result in the cancellation of the Mains exams.
The ruling was based on a batch of writ petitions filed by unsuccessful candidates who alleged irregularities in the evaluation and overall conduct of the examination. The single-judge bench invalidated the results announced on 10 March 2025 and the ranking list from 30 March 2025, citing breaches in public trust and procedural flaws.
Following the 9 September 2025 order, the TSPSC and several selected candidates filed appeals. On 24 September 2025, the division bench issued an interim stay on the single judge’s directive, allowing the commission to issue appointment orders for the 563 posts, subject to the outcome of the appeals.
This interim measure permitted the recruitment process to move forward temporarily while the matter was under review. The appeals were heard over several sessions, with the court reserving its judgement on 22 January 2026, before delivering the final verdict on 5 February.
The single-judge order had created uncertainty for thousands of aspirants, as it threatened to delay or restart the recruitment cycle. Petitions raised issues such as inconsistent evaluation standards and potential bias in the digital marking system used by the TSPSC. The court’s observations extended to the commission’s handling of the exams, pointing out that the process had eroded public confidence.
In response, the TSPSC argued that the evaluation was transparent and that re-evaluation or re-examination would cause undue hardship to qualified candidates.
The latest judgement would impact over 30,000 candidates who took the Group-1 Mains, particularly the 563 selected individuals. For these aspirants, the ruling ends a period of prolonged uncertainty that began with the single-judge order in September 2025.
Many candidates had been awaiting appointments since the results were declared in March 2025, and the interim stay in September 2025 had already allowed some to receive appointment letters, albeit provisionally.
The division bench’s decision to uphold the results means these appointments can now be formalised without the threat of re-evaluation or re-examination.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
