Court Backs TSPSC's Exam Process: No Re-Evaluation Despite Key Objections, Says Telangana High Court

Academic Decisions Best Left to Experts, Rules Court in Dismissing Petitioners' Claims Against Group-I Preliminary Exam.

Telangana High Court, in Damodar Reddy Gangula vs. Telangana State Public Service Commission, dismissed writ petitions challenging the validity of the Telangana State Public Service Commission’s (TSPSC) Group-I preliminary examination held in June 2024. Petitioners alleged discrepancies in the preliminary examination's answer key and questioned the Commission's decision to cancel and reissue notifications. The Court ruled in favor of the TSPSC, upholding the evaluation process and rejecting the petitioners' claims of irregularities.

The petitioners, candidates for the Group-I services, participated in the TSPSC's preliminary examination held on June 9, 2024. They filed writ petitions challenging several aspects of the exam process, including errors in the preliminary key, the cancellation of the 2022 notification (due to paper leaks), and the issuance of a new notification in February 2024. The petitioners sought the cancellation of the preliminary exam and corrections in the final key, which they argued had several erroneous answers.

Whether the TSPSC’s handling of the preliminary examination, including the cancellation of the 2022 notification and the issuance of a fresh notification in 2024, was lawful.

Whether the petitioners’ objections to specific questions in the preliminary key were valid and warranted re-evaluation.

The Court noted that the TSPSC's decision to cancel the 2022 notification and issue a new one in 2024, incorporating changes in recruitment guidelines, was within the Commission's discretion. The Court found that the cancellation, triggered by irregularities in the previous examination, was justified and done in public interest.

The Court reviewed the objections raised by the petitioners regarding specific questions. The TSPSC had referred these objections to a Subject Expert Committee, which evaluated and made necessary corrections to the final key. The Court ruled that academic matters like these, involving technical expertise, should be left to the discretion of expert bodies. Courts should be slow to interfere in such matters unless there is a glaring error. The Court found no such error in the evaluation process.

The Telangana High Court upheld the TSPSC’s final key and dismissed the petitions. The Court concluded that the Commission’s approach was thorough, involving expert review of the objections raised by candidates. The petitioners’ demand to cancel the preliminary examination was rejected, as the Commission had followed due process in evaluating the key and addressing objections.

The High Court ruled in favor of the TSPSC, confirming that the petitioners’ claims lacked merit. It emphasized the importance of deferring to expert academic bodies in matters related to examination evaluation and concluded that no further interference was warranted.

Date of Decision: October 15, 2024

Damodar Reddy Gangula vs. The Telangana State Public Service Commission