Applications for these posts will be accepted from 10 am on 23 February to 5 pm on 14 March, according to the notification.
The Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) issued a fresh notification for examinations for Group-1 services on Monday, 19 February.
The move came hours after it cancelled the exam notification from 2022.
This is the third time the exam will be held, having been previously mired in legal issues — including paper leakage.
In the new notification, a total of 563 vacancies have been released under various categories of the Group-1 services.
Applications for these posts will be accepted from 10 am on 23 February to 5 pm on 14 March, according to the notification.
Earlier in the day, the commission, which saw a reshuffle of members under the two-month-new Congress government, cancelled the notification issued on 26 April, 2022.
It said so after “deliberating in detail” the several issues noticed concerning the 2022 announcement made during the erstwhile BRS’ government rule.
#Telangana: In a swift development, @TSPSCofficial releases a fresh notification for Group-1 services for 563 vacancies. The applications will be open from 23 February (10 am) to 14 March, 2024 (5 pm) under various categories.
Earlier in the day, the #TSPSC had cancelled the… pic.twitter.com/yJ0Kf5qvbj
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) February 19, 2024
As per the new notification, the preliminary exam is scheduled to be held in May or June in an objective format.
The main examination, to be held in subjective mode, has been scheduled for September or October of this year.
The decision to cancel the earlier notification was taken after the Supreme Court allowed the TSPSC to pull back the Special Leave Petition (SLP) against Telangana High Court’s decision to cancel the preliminary examination.
Under the SPL, mentioned in Article 136 of Indian Constitution, the apex court can grant special leave to appeal against any judgment observed or passed by any court or tribunal in the country.
The exam, which was earlier held twice, was mired in legal issues. In March 2023, the commission announced the exam’s cancellation, which had initially taken place on 16 October 2022 due to concerns over the leak of the question paper.
Several accused — multiple TSPSC staffers, including the kingpin, among them — were arrested in the case.
A second attempt was made to conduct the exam on 11 June last year, but candidates complained about the arrangements.
Around 2.33 lakh aspirants reportedly appeared for the examination for the second time. However, some of them moved the high court, raising concerns about the absence of biometric verification during the Group-1 preliminary examination.
They included representatives of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI)— the student arm of the Congress.
On 23 September, the Telangana High Court took a significant decision by cancelling the TSPSC Group-1 preliminary examination. This cancellation was due to the TSPSC not following the proper procedures during the exam.
Meanwhile, in October last year, a 23-year-old TSPSC aspirant named Marri Pravallika died by suicide in Hyderabad allegedly due to the postponement of the preliminary examinations.
It was followed by mass protests by students in the Chikkadapally and Ashok Nagar areas of Hyderabad.
In December last year, retired IAS officer Janardhan Reddy stepped down from the position of the chairman of the TSPSC citing personal reasons, such as stress over the past developments.
Determined to cleanse the commission, new Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy met with UPSC Chairman Manoj Soni in Delhi on 5 January.
Meanwhile, Dr E Naveen Nicolas — a 2018-batch IAS officer — was recently appointed the new TSPSC secretary in place of Anita Ramachandran.
Former director general of police M Mahender Reddy was appointed the chairman of the commission on 25 January.
Additionally, retired IAS Anita Rajendra, retired Indian Postal Service member and economist Amir Ullah Khan, Professor Narri Yadaiah, Yarabadi Ram Mohana Rao, and Palavai Rajani Kumari were appointed as members of the TSPSC. Their term in office will span six years.
The leak of question papers in the conduct of the Group-1 examinations became a convenient political weapon for the Congress to expose the “inept” BRS government ahead of the Assembly elections last year.
As recruitment to government vacancies is a touchy issue in Telangana, the bungling evoked resentment among the youth.
The Congress took full advantage of the situation and reaped political benefit. The Telangana movement, led by students, was fought for — among other things — filling government vacancies.
The party cadres held demonstrations and protests, slamming the government when the TSPSC cancelled the Group-1 examination following the leakage of question papers.
The earlier government notification was for 503 posts. After A Revanth Reddy took over as the chief minister, he cleared the filling of 60 more posts in Group-1 services.
Thus, the TSPSC, which has a new body now, is looking to fill 563 vacancies.
May 03, 2024
May 03, 2024
May 03, 2024
May 03, 2024
May 03, 2024
May 03, 2024
