Hyderabad, Sep 24 (NationPress) The Telangana High Court has issued a stay on a single judge’s order that annulled the results of the Group-I Mains examination. The court has permitted the Telangana Public Service Commission (TGPSC) to continue with the recruitment process for Group-I positions based on the existing results.

A division bench, led by Justice Aparesh Kumar Singh, has scheduled the next hearing for October 16, clarifying that the appointments will hinge on the final decision.

This interim ruling was prompted by a petition from TGPSC contesting the single judge's order from September 9, which invalidated the general ranking list and the selection list of candidates. Justice Namavarapu Rajeswara Rao had mandated a manual re-evaluation of all answer scripts using a moderation technique, adhering to the guidelines established by the Supreme Court.

The order from the single judge followed petitions from various candidates who claimed irregularities in both the examination process and the evaluation of answer sheets.

The judge had instructed the TSPSC to finalize the re-evaluation and announce results within eight months; otherwise, the Main exams would be annulled, necessitating a re-examination for all candidates who qualified for the Prelims.

In its challenge against the single judge's ruling, the Commission contended that the decision was flawed, contrary to legal standards, and overlooked critical evidence presented in court.

Advocate General Sudershan Reddy asserted that there was no proof of any bias against candidates who responded in Telugu.

Approximately 30,000 students participated in the Group 1 Mains exams organized by the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) from October 21 to 27, 2024, aimed at filling 563 Group-I positions across various departments.

A total of 31,383 candidates had registered for these examinations, qualifying for the Group-1 Mains from around 3.02 lakh who sat for the preliminary exam in June.

This was the inaugural instance of Group-I Mains examinations since the establishment of Telangana State, with the previous exams conducted in 2011 during united Andhra Pradesh.

The results for the Main examination were revealed on March 10, followed by the release of a general ranking list and the list of selected candidates.

The Group-1 prelims have faced significant controversies due to paper leaks and legal disputes regarding adherence to regulations and irregularities observed in 2022 and 2023.