Panel to verify 5,000 Group-II test papers

Commission told to submit a report before the court

In a significant development for recruitment to Group-II posts in Telangana, the Hyderabad High Court on Wednesday constituted an advocates’ commission, with three advocates of the High Court, to verify the Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) sheets of 5000 merit candidates.

Justice P. Naveen Rao dealing with a petition seeking to stay Group-II recruitment, felt that in view of serious allegations regarding mistakes in bubbling in answer sheets and also in personal details of candidates, it is necessary to verify the OMR answer sheets of the merit candidates and asked the advocates’ commission to do so and submit a report before the court as early as possible.

The Telangana Public Service Commission (TPSC) issued a notification for the recruitment on December 30, 2015, and supplementary notification on September 1, 2016, and conducted the written test.

The counsels appearing for the petitioners submitted that the TPSC which has conditioned that the OMR sheets of the candidates, who have used whiteners and bubbled while filling their personal details, will not be accepted by the computer.

He has said that the OMR sheets of candidates who have used whiteners and bubbled while filling in their personal details, will not be accepted by the computer.

They told the court that the TPSC has considered the answer sheets of the candidates who used whitener contrary to Rules prescribed in the notification.

Advocate general D Prakash Reddy submitted that they are the state is taking steps to ensure transparency in the recruitment process and has no objection if the court appoints the advocates' commission.

The counsels appearing for the petitioners, who are opposed to a stay on recruitment, said that very few candidates have used the whiteners and staying the recruitment for those few people will cause irreparable loss to the majority of candidates.

While directing the TPSC to furnish the OMR sheets to the advocates’ commission, the judge posted the case to March 19.