TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy accompanied by senior Congress leaders coming out of Raj Bhavan after meeting Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan. | Photo Credit: NAGARA GOPAL
A delegation of the Telangana Congress met Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan to sanction the prosecution of Minister for Information Technology K. T. Rama Rao and officials of the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) in the paper leakage case using her power under Article 163 of the Constitution.
The delegation led by Telangana Congress president A. Revanth Reddy appealed to the Governor to scrap the TSPSC using her powers and take over the functioning of the body so that the enquiry is fair and transparent. Mr. Reddy reminded that a five-judge Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court upheld the power of the Governor to sanction the prosecution of a Minister and officials in the Vyapam case related to Madhya Pradesh Special Police Establishment Vs State of Madhya Pradesh.
The delegation submitted a petition seeking sanction for the prosecution of the Minister and other officials to instil a sense of confidence among 30 lakh candidates who were writing various recruitment examinations. Mr. Reddy along with senior leaders Ponnala Lakshmaiah, V. Hanmanth Rao, Mahesh Kumar Goud, Sampath Kumar, Madhu Yaskhi Goud, and Harkara Venugopal spoke to the media later and said that the Governor has assured to seek legal opinion before proceeding on the issue.
The Congress president reiterated his allegation that the Minister was trying to hide the facts and mislead the investigation by openly claiming that only two people — Pulidindi Praveen Kumar, ASO, TSPSC., and Atla Rajasekhara Reddy, network expert on outsourcing basis - were the culprits. The leakage created trust-deficit among youth about the credibility of a public institution and also gave rise to suspicion about the credibility of the selections made by the TSPSC so far.
He said Mr. Rajashekhar, who was deputed by TSTS (Telangana State Technology Services) to the TSPSC., hails from Malyala mandal of Jagityal district, and is an acquaintance of Mr. Rama Rao’s personal assistant. It is believed that several people from Malyala mandal secured high marks in the Group-I exam while another accused Praveen also secured more than 100 marks. “Similar, irregularities were reported in the results of 2016 Group-I selections,” he claimed.
The letter further alleged that Praveen Kumar was facilitated to occupy a crucial position in the TSPSC through the good offices of the IT Minister’s personal staff. Similarly, another accused Rajashekhar Reddy reportedly got an appointment through the office of IT Minister. “His access to high-security exam papers has deeper implications for the selections done so far through TSPSC,” the letter claimed.
The Congress leaders also demanded the Governor refer the issue to the Central Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement Directorate to enquire into the origin of this scam and trace the proceeds of crime to ensure accountability in public life.
