Andhra Pradesh Public Service Commission (APPSC) Chairman D. Goutam Sawang on March 13 (Wednesday) said the High Court verdict on the annulment of the 2018 Group-I Mains exam has come as a “surprise”.
Speaking to The Hindu, he said while the contention was over the “method of evaluation”, the verdict on the nullification of the exam “came as a surprise”.
Stating that the APPSC would appeal against the verdict, he said, “Litigation is a part of the process” and reassured the candidates not to worry and “have faith in the process”.
The APPSC issued notification for Group-I exams on December 31, 2018 to fill 169 posts. The prelims were held on May 25, 2019, while the Mains examination was held from December 14 to 20, 2020 and the result was declared on April 28, 2021 after digital evaluation of the answer scripts.
A group of students who were not selected approached the High Court alleging that they were rejected due to “technical issues”. After hearing the case, the High Court, in October 2021, directed the APPSC to take up re-valuation process in the traditional manual mode.
The APPSC carried out the orders and declared results in 2022. But it faced fresh trouble when 202 candidates, who had qualified in the earlier round (digital mode) of evaluation but did not find their names in the list of selected candidates when the process was carried out second time in the manual mode, moved the court against “multiple valuations” and delayed announcement of the results.
Responding to their plea, the High Court has directed the APPSC to nullify the Mains exam and conduct it afresh within six months.
The Group-I exam pertaining to 2018 notification has been fraught with legal hassles. Even the prelims round held in May, 2019, was opposed by a group of aspirants who filed a case in the Supreme Court, alleging translation errors. The case is still pending in the apex court.
Leaders of Andhra Pradesh Nirudyoga JAC have sought immediate measures to address the issue. Committee leader S. Hemanth Kumar said since the aggrieved candidates of the prelims were waiting for justice from the apex court, the government should re-conduct the prelims round too. Shaik Siddique alleged that the entire episode of the Commission conducting the exam for the second time “reeked of foul play” and demanded a CBI probe.
