Hyderabad: S Niranjan Reddy, a senior lawyer for the Telangana Public Service Commission (TGPSC), argued on Thursday that about 400,000 candidates took the Group-1 exams. Out of these, 30,000 were shortlisted, with 20,161 moving on to the Mains. Some unsuccessful candidates approached the Supreme Court to cancel the exam, but the court found their claims unfounded and did not cancel it.
Reddy stated that the Group-1 exam was conducted properly, with no rule violations or issues at the exam centers. He mentioned there were no significant allegations about any centers being compromised and no doubts about TGPSC’s integrity. The petitioners did not provide evidence of selective grading.
He highlighted that most of those who passed the Group-1 Mains were from OBC, SC, ST, women, and physically handicapped categories, proving it wasn’t elitist. Reddy warned that interfering with the selection process would harm the dreams of many hardworking candidates.
Reddy explained the evaluation process involved 300 evaluators. They underwent mock evaluations and an orientation before grading papers. Each script was checked by another scrutinizer to confirm accurate marks were given.
He dismissed claims by Rachna Reddy, representing the petitioners, that selected candidates were unfairly assigned to certain centers. These assignments were randomized by computer, ensuring no human bias. The 46 exam centers were physically inspected to prevent any misconduct.
For centers 18 and 19, which were all-women because they were Women’s Colleges in Koti, Reddy explained this allocation was to avoid discomfort for male candidates, as seen in past UPSC exams where men faced long waits for restrooms.
The case hearing was postponed for further arguments by Desai Prakash Reddy and other senior counsels.
