HC junks Group-1 merit list

Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Tuesday cancelled the Group-1 mains examination merit list and ordered re-evaluation within eight months or to conduct the exam once again. The apex court came down heavily on the Telangana Public Service Commission (TGPSC) for mishandling the entire process of the Group-1 examination.

High Court Judge Justice N Rajeshwara Rao set aside the general ranking and the list of selected candidates. As per the orders, the TGPSC should first re-evaluate the papers and then announce the results. If this is not possible, the government should conduct re-examination as per the Supreme Court guidelines based on Sanjay vs Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission case.

Some of the aspirants had approached the court that there was no transparency in the evaluation of Group-I mains examinations conducted between October 21 to 27, 2023. The court which examined the case found that there was no transparency. While some of them had sought cancellation of the examination, others whose selection process was in the final stages opposed this and urged the court not to cancel the examination.

The court which heard the petition of both the parties on July 7 pronounced judgment on Tuesday. As many as 30,000 candidates wrote the exam and the results were announced on March 10, 2025.

The TGPSC released a general rankings list and the list of selected candidates. With this judgement, the postings to 563 vacancies were on hold.

The court warned that if there were further irregularities, it would order complete re-conduct of mains examination. Speaking on the verdict, BRS senior leader T Harish Rao on Tuesday said that this was a slap on the government’s face. He alleged that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy was playing with the lives of the students. He asked, “What is your response to this court verdict? Students and unemployed people are suffering due to your negligence in conducting exams in a hurry and committing irregularities. The Congress government has no idea how to conduct the exams.”