563 aspirants back in uncertainty after HC order
Hyderabad: For the 563 candidates declared successful in last year’s TSPSC Group-1 mains, the High Court’s order to annul results and mandate manual revaluation has come as a crushing blow. Many who had finally tasted success after years of toil now find themselves back in uncertainty.
“My Group-1 journey began in 2022 when I was fresh out of college. After the paper leak, SIT interrogated everyone who scored above 100, even visiting our homes. It was humiliating for genuine aspirants. I didn’t give up and kept writing. Now, after reevaluation, I fear my rank may not hold, or worse, I could lose out altogether,” said one candidate, requesting anonymity.
Another aspirant, who cleared the exam after six years of preparation, said: “Mains is subjective. Expecting the same marks in re-evaluation is unrealistic. A different evaluator may interpret the same answer differently. For us, that could mean losing a career earned through years of labour.”
Rohan Prashant, one of the selected candidates, said the fear is overwhelming. “Re-exam or re-evaluation usually reduces marks. Only rarely do they improve. The worry is that those who cleared fairly will be forced into another cycle of waiting.”
Others pointed to the anxiety of endless litigation. “If someone who was wronged earlier makes it through this time and someone genuine like us misses by a mark, they’ll go back to court. Where will this cycle end? Today, 563 of us are affected; tomorrow it could be others,” said a candidate.
Many aspirants said they did not want to be named for fear of jeopardising their posts. They argued that genuine candidates should not be punished, pointing out that marriages and family commitments were already tied to their jobs.
Meanwhile, campus protests have continued. Student groups BRSV and SFI demanded cancellation of the Group-1 mains and a fresh notification, arguing that irregularities were too deep for reevaluation alone. They also sought a judicial inquiry by a sitting judge and strict action against responsible officials.
An aspirant, serving as a deputy tahsildar, recalled how he had waited three years for his current post after writing the exam in 2016. Having gone through that long struggle, and now mentoring candidates at a coaching centre, he felt the verdict was not balanced.
“The wronged certainly deserve a chance, but this judgment seems lopsided, based on insufficient evidence, while the TSPSC’s side has not been given enough weight,” he said. He now shudders at waiting again for he doesn’t know how long this could take.
