TSPSC aspirants divided by test, united on inquiry

HYDERABAD: The Telangana State Public Service Commission's (TSPSC) assurance about Group 1 main exams - scheduled for June - not being affected due to the paper leak fiasco, has failed to pacify aspirants. Speaking to TOI on Wednesday, some of the candidates who qualified in the prelims said that the commission should first investigate if there was any malpractice involved in that test, held in October 2022, before rushing in to conduct the mains.
Incidentally, the main accused in the paper leak case, Praveen Kumar, scored 103 out of 150 in the Group 1 prelims. Reason why he still failed to qualify for the mains, is unknown.

"There are many questions that need to be answered first. If the paper was not leaked, how did Praveen - the main accused in the assistant engineer (civil) exam paper leak incident - secure 103 marks? Can they tell us for sure that the paper was not leaked to anyone else," asked a candidate who qualified in the prelims. Lashing out at the TSPSC chairman, B Janardhan Reddy, for downplaying Praveen's score he said that 103 is very high marks for an candidate to secure.
This point was raised by others as well. Pointing out that the prelims question paper was very tough, these candidates wondered how someone like Praveen managed such a "high score" when even those preparing for civil services for years now have managed to score not more than 80 marks. They alleged, the accused lost out because of wrong bubbling of the test booklet and not because of his score.
"It's unfair for students who spent years and lakhs of rupees to prepare for groups to go ahead with mains when it is certain that the paper was leaked. Once the paper is out, how can the TSPSC say that it was leaked only to one candidate? Even though I qualified in the prelims, I feel that the commission should conduct the exam again and ensure that there are no malpractices this time," said Ramesh, who started preparing for the groups during his post-graduation.
Candidates also insisted on TSPSC conducting a proper enquiry as they fear that the matter might, otherwise, be challenged in court by someone, leading to them losing out on precious time.
"I would be glad if they can conduct the exam in June as per schedule. But before that, they should ensure that no questions are left unanswered. Because if the matter reaches court, it will turn into a long-drawn process jeopardizing our future," said a candidate who resigned from his corporate job in July last year to concentrate on Group 1 preparation.
Others like him who have been lodged in hostels for months and studying long hours to crack the groups, also urged the TSPSC to do all it can to avoid litigations.
"At this stage, I do not want the prelims to be cancelled as I have really worked hard to qualify. The same is the case with hundreds of unemployed youth in the state. However, it is important to enquire into the incident. If they find that more candidates are involved in the leak, they can cancel their candidature and give a chance to those on the waiting list," said another candidate, who also quit his private job to prepare for groups.