TSPSC paper leak: Don’t blame an institution because of two individuals, says KTR

Hyderabad: Minister of Information Technology and Municipal Administration, KT Rama Rao, has blamed two individuals for the recent paper leak that has affected numerous candidates. KTR stated that the incident was not due to a failure of the system or administration, but rather the fault of two TSPSC employees who leaked the paper.

In the paper leak case that led to the cancellation of the March 5 exam, nine persons were arrested, including the main accused Pulidindi Praveen Kumar, who allegedly sold the question paper to a government Hindi teacher and her husband for 10 lakhs, who sold it to two individuals for 13.5 lakhs. The case is now being handled by the SIT.

Speaking to the media, KTR also announced measures to assist those affected by the leak, including waiving the examination fee for reconducting cancelled exams, providing free study materials online, and opening study rooms 24 hours a day in districts with free food.

KTR also lambasted the opposition for politicising the issue and urged people to not blame the entire institution for the paper leak. “Two employees Praveen Kumar and Rajashekar Reddy of TSPSC have done the mistake. Don’t blame the total institution for the paper leak,” he said.

KTR identified one of the accused, Rajasekhar Reddy, as an active member of the BJP who gained unauthorised access to confidential question papers using the login credentials of other employees. “We will take action against those who are behind the incident and take measures to avoid such incidents,” he stated.

KTR also defended himself against call for his resignation, stating, “Am I responsible for every computer in the state just because I am IT Minister? Why should I resign? How is the IT department related?”

He further said that the state had filled 35,000 job vacancies through 155 notifications and had conducted exams 99 times in the past eight years, with the exams based solely on the merit system. In the past eight years, Telangana has removed the interview system and has focused solely on the merit system for exams, resulting in more than 2 lakh vacancies in the process.

"The dates for the reconduct of cancelled exams AEE, and DAO will be announced soon. I have also requested the DGP to investigate deeply to uncover any possible conspiracy behind the paper leak", the Minister said.

It may be noted that the TSPSC issued a notification for 837 vacancies in September 2022, and the exam for these posts was held on March 5, 2023, but has now been cancelled. The Group-I Preliminary Examination will be conducted again on June 11, 2023.