TGPSC files appeal against single judge order staying Group-I appointment orders

The Telangana State Public Service Commission on Monday (April 28) filed a petition appealing against the single judge order which stayed issuing of appointment letters to the candidates selected for Group-I services.

The appeal petition filed by the TGPSC is likely to be heard in a day or two. The hearing of the writ petition seeking judicial inquiry into the evaluation of Group-I services, in which the bench of Namavarapu Rajeshwar Rao passed interim direction staying issuing of appointment orders, was posted to Wednesday.

In the appeal petition filed by TGPSC Additional Secretary and Nodal officer (Legal) R. Sumathi, a direction was sought to suspend the single judge order. Stating that the recruitment process had to be taken to logical conclusion, the Commission contended that the single judge order put the entire recruitment process in jeopardy seriously affecting aspirations of the candidates who successfully completed the exam.

Some of the respondents, who are serving government employees, had “abused their official access and resources to attempt to extract and compile details about individual evaluators in violation of service conduct rules,” the appellant said. According to the Commission, these respondents made ‘highly hypothetical and baseless allegations without any basic material proof’.

The appellant made it clear that there was no evidence to confirm that same persons evaluated both the Telugu and English medium papers. There was no bias or language-based discrimination as alleged by the respondents, the Commission stated.

In enhance transparency in evaluation of answer scripts, the Chief Examiner Committees were constituted for each paper comprising at least two subject specialists of national repute. ‘Valuation was carried out in adherence to strict confidentiality protocols,’ the appeal petition said. “The marks were awarded on designated barcode sheets without revealing candidate identity,” the Commission explained.