The results of the written exam for selection of Sub-Inspector posts being held by the Telangana State Level Police Recruitment Board (TSLPRB) will be subject to the judgment to be delivered by Telangana High Court in a writ appeal filed by some candidates. However, there would be no change in the schedule of the exam on Saturday.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Rajasheker Reddy passed the order making it clear that the Board can go ahead with the exam but the results would be subject to the final verdict they would deliver after hearing the writ appeal. Initially, a batch of writ petitions were filed by candidates who attended physical efficiency test for the posts of SIs and constables held by the TSLPRB.
Candidates had to appear for the events of running 800 metres and 100 metres, long jump, high jump and shotput. Out of them, clearing 800 metres within 170 seconds was compulsory. The Board had declared that candidates who cleared the event within 170.499 seconds as qualified. The candidates who completed the event by clocking over 170.499 seconds but within 170.999 seconds were disqualified.
These candidates moved the HC seeking a direction to the Board to declare them qualified for the remaining events as those who had cleared the event by clocking 170.499 were allowed. They contended that they had clocked less than 171 seconds and hence come under the 170 seconds limits prescribed in the notification.
Appeal
However, the single judge dismissed their petitions stating that the rounding off the timings of candidates who clocked between 170.001 seconds to 170.499 cannot be extended up to to 170.999 seconds. Challenging the single judge order, 23 candidates appearing for selection of SI posts filed an appeal before the division bench.
“You should not have given the relaxation to candidates who clocked 170.499 seconds. Your notification is faulty,” ACJ Raghvendra Singh told the TSLPRB counsel.
At one stage, the bench contemplated permitting the candidates who clocked above 170.499 seconds and less than 170.999 seconds but later said that it would be difficult for the Board to arrange the remaining physical test events with just five days left for the written exam. It declined to consider the request of the petitioners’ counsels to permit them to appear for the written test and told them that they didn’t ask for permission to appear for written test in their interim plea. If the petitioners get a favourable order their rights would be protected and they would stand a chance to appear for the test again, it said.