A Division Bench of the Telangana High Court, on Saturday, dismissed a writ appeal filed by the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) questioning a single judge order directing it to permit the four debarred candidates to appear for the Group-I preliminary exam to be held on Sunday.
The guilt of the four persons, who were debarred from appearing for the exam by TSPSC following their alleged complicity and arrest in the Group-I question paper leak case, “was not established by any Judicial Forum”.
“The single judge was justified in directing the TSPSC to permit them to appear for the exam….It is needless to say that the commission should permit them to appear for the exam by issuing hall ticket to them,” the Bench of Justices Abhinand Kumar Shavili and Namavarapu Rajeshwar Rao said in its order.
The four candidates, who were arrested in the Group-I question paper leak case and subsequently debarred by the commission from appearing for the exam, moved the HC the previous day seeking a direction to permit them to write the exam. A single judge passed the interim order instructing TSPSC to permit them to write the exam.
Challenging this order, the commission moved House Motion on Saturday, which was heard by the Bench. The commission’s standing counsel Ram Gopal Rao contended that the four candidates were working with TSPSC on a contract basis and were actively involved in the leak. The counsel also submitted to the court that permitting the four to appear for the exam would send wrong signals to other aspirants and its credibility would be at stake.
Lawyer Mahesh Raje, appearing for the four candidates, contended that they were only accused of committing the crime but not convicted by any criminal court. “Debarring them based on police report will be arbitrary,” argued Mr. Raje.
He also told the court that the single judge had directed the commission not to publish the results of the candidates till further notice to ensure no prejudice was caused to anyone, including TSPSC.
